Demonstration of the feasibility of automated silicon solar cell fabrication

An analysis of estimated costs indicate that for an annual output of 4,747,000 hexagonal cells (38 mm. on a side) a total factory cost of $0.866 per cell could be achieved. For cells with 14$1.22 per watt of electrical output. A laboratory model of such a facility was operated to produce a series of demonstration runs, producing hexagonal cells, 2 x 2 cm cells and 2 x 4 cm cells

An Evaluation of the Effect of Instrument Geometry on Color Management for Printed Textiles

The present study analyzes spectrophotometers with two different optical geometries, namely unidirectional 45° instruments and spherical 8°instruments, for building ICC profiles of inkjet-printed textiles. Unidirectional 45° instruments are utilized extensively in the graphic arts, while spherical 8° instruments are more commonly used in the textile industry. One limitation to using spherical 8° instruments for ICC profiling is that profiles built of printing conditions typically require readings of hundreds of patches, and there is only one known instrument configuration that can automate this process, while choices abound for automated instrumentation with unidirectional 45° for ICC profiling. Using a ColorScout A+, a robotic x,y table that is instrument agnostic and able to accommodate both handheld unidirectional 45° instruments and spherical 8°instruments in automating multiple readings, profiles are built and analyzed for two different inkjet-printed textile substrates

A bistable soft gripper with mechanically embedded sensing and actuation for fast closed-loop grasping

Soft robotic grippers are shown to be high effective for grasping unstructured objects with simple sensing and control strategies. However, they are still limited by their speed, sensing capabilities and actuation mechanism. Hence, their usage have been restricted in highly dynamic grasping tasks. This paper presents a soft robotic gripper with tunable bistable properties for sensor-less dynamic grasping. The bistable mechanism allows us to store arbitrarily large strain energy in the soft system which is then released upon contact. The mechanism also provides flexibility on the type of actuation mechanism as the grasping and sensing phase is completely passive. Theoretical background behind the mechanism is presented with finite element analysis to provide insights into design parameters. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate sensor-less dynamic grasping of an unknown object within 0.02 seconds, including the time to sense and actuate

Structural analysis consultation using artificial intelligence

The primary goal of consultation is definition of the best strategy to deal with a structural engineering analysis objective. The knowledge base to meet the need is designed to identify the type of numerical analysis, the needed modeling detail, and specific analysis data required. Decisions are constructed on the basis of the data in the knowledge base - material behavior, relations between geometry and structural behavior, measures of the importance of time and temperature changes - and user supplied specifics characteristics of the spectrum of analysis types, the relation between accuracy and model detail on the structure, its mechanical loadings, and its temperature states. Existing software demonstrated the feasibility of the approach, encompassing the 36 analysis classes spanning nonlinear, temperature affected, incremental analyses which track the behavior of structural systems

An approach toward function allocation between humans and machines in space station activities

Basic guidelines and data to assist in the allocation of functions between humans and automated systems in a manned permanent space station are provided. Human capabilities and limitations are described. Criteria and guidelines for various levels of automation and human participation are described. A collection of human factors data is included