2,144 research outputs found

    Smart grid architecture for rural distribution networks: application to a Spanish pilot network

    Get PDF
    This paper presents a novel architecture for rural distribution grids. This architecture is designed to modernize traditional rural networks into new Smart Grid ones. The architecture tackles innovation actions on both the power plane and the management plane of the system. In the power plane, the architecture focuses on exploiting the synergies between telecommunications and innovative technologies based on power electronics managing low scale electrical storage. In the management plane, a decentralized management system is proposed based on the addition of two new agents assisting the typical Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system of distribution system operators. Altogether, the proposed architecture enables operators to use more effectively—in an automated and decentralized way—weak rural distribution systems, increasing the capability to integrate new distributed energy resources. This architecture is being implemented in a real Pilot Network located in Spain, in the frame of the European Smart Rural Grid project. The paper also includes a study case showing one of the potentialities of one of the principal technologies developed in the project and underpinning the realization of the new architecture: the so-called Intelligent Distribution Power Router.Postprint (published version

    Managing ubiquitous eco cities: the role of urban telecommunication infrastructure networks and convergence technologies

    Get PDF
    A successful urban management system for a Ubiquitous Eco City requires an integrated approach. This integration includes bringing together economic, socio-cultural and urban development with a well orchestrated, transparent and open decision making mechanism and necessary infrastructure and technologies. Rapidly developing information and telecommunication technologies and their platforms in the late 20th Century improves urban management and enhances the quality of life and place. Telecommunication technologies provide an important base for monitoring and managing activities over wired, wireless or fibre-optic networks. Particularly technology convergence creates new ways in which the information and telecommunication technologies are used. The 21st Century is an era where information has converged, in which people are able to access a variety of services, including internet and location based services, through multi-functional devices such as mobile phones and provides opportunities in the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities. This paper discusses the recent developments in telecommunication networks and trends in convergence technologies and their implications on the management of Ubiquitous Eco Cities and how this technological shift is likely to be beneficial in improving the quality of life and place. The paper also introduces recent approaches on urban management systems, such as intelligent urban management systems, that are suitable for Ubiquitous Eco Cities

    Distributed Network, Wireless and Cloud Computing Enabled 3-D Ultrasound; a New Medical Technology Paradigm

    Get PDF
    Medical technologies are indispensable to modern medicine. However, they have become exceedingly expensive and complex and are not available to the economically disadvantaged majority of the world population in underdeveloped as well as developed parts of the world. For example, according to the World Health Organization about two thirds of the world population does not have access to medical imaging. In this paper we introduce a new medical technology paradigm centered on wireless technology and cloud computing that was designed to overcome the problems of increasing health technology costs. We demonstrate the value of the concept with an example; the design of a wireless, distributed network and central (cloud) computing enabled three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound system. Specifically, we demonstrate the feasibility of producing a 3-D high end ultrasound scan at a central computing facility using the raw data acquired at the remote patient site with an inexpensive low end ultrasound transducer designed for 2-D, through a mobile device and wireless connection link between them. Producing high-end 3D ultrasound images with simple low-end transducers reduces the cost of imaging by orders of magnitude. It also removes the requirement of having a highly trained imaging expert at the patient site, since the need for hand-eye coordination and the ability to reconstruct a 3-D mental image from 2-D scans, which is a necessity for high quality ultrasound imaging, is eliminated. This could enable relatively untrained medical workers in developing nations to administer imaging and a more accurate diagnosis, effectively saving the lives of people

    Telerehabilitation Clinical and Vocational Applications for Assistive Technology: Research, Opportunities, and Challenges

    Get PDF
    Rehabilitation service providers in rural or underserved areas are often challenged in meeting the needs of their complex patients due to limited resources in their geographical area. Recruitment and retention of the rural clinical workforce are beset by the ongoing problems associated with limited continuing education opportunities, professional isolation, and the challenges inherent in coordinating rural community healthcare. People with disabilities who live in rural communities also face challenges accessing healthcare. Traveling long distances to a specialty clinic for necessary expertise may be troublesome due to inadequate or unavailable transportation, disability specific limitations, and financial limitations. Distance and lack of access are just two threats to quality of care that now being addressed by the use of videoconferencing, information exchange, and other telecommunication technologies that facilitate telerehabilitation. This white paper illustrates and summarizes clinical and vocational applications of telerehabilitation. We provide definitions related to the fields of telemedicine, telehealth, and telerehabilitation, and consider the impetus for telerehabilitation. We review the telerehabilitation literature for assistive technology applications; pressure ulcer prevention; virtual reality applications; speech-language pathology applications; seating and wheeled mobility applications; vocational rehabilitation applications; and cost effectiveness. We then discuss external telerehabilitation influencers, such as the positions of professional organizations. Finally, we summarize clinical and policy issues in a limited context appropriate to the scope of this paper. Keywords: Telerehabilitation, Telehealth, Telemedicine, Telepractic

    Contribution to the operation of smart rural distribution grid with energy resources for improvement of the quality of service

    Get PDF
    This Thesis aims for contributing in the deployment and operation of Smart Grid, in isolated rural areas. As it would be expected, technological developments and investments in the electrical field have mainly focused on urban and industrial areas where the energy demand is high, as well as, the possibility to recover easily the investment. Therefore, difficult accessing areas where population and electrical demand are low are less attractive to invest. For this reason, this Thesis, in parallel to the European project known as Smart Rural Grid, has focused on the rural grid development. In this sense, the Thesis contributes directly in the design, conception and justification of an innovate architecture for rural systems. The architecture has been deployed and tested at the end of a medium voltage line of Estabanell Energia in Vallfogona del Ripollès. In addition, the presented architecture is characterised to integrate power electronics with embedded battery systems, an innovative management system and a proper telecommunication network in order to gain robustness, flexibility and hosting capacity for distributed and renewable generation. To sum up, the Thesis has focused on the design and development of new operation modes, algorithms and equipment that allow to manage automatically and optimally the energy resources; like power electronics, energy storage systems, distributed and renewable generation, and controllable loads. These strategies are able to correct common issues in rural grids, such as voltage variations and electrical losses. In addition, they improve and ensure the power quality and supply continuity, contribute to reduce operational costs and infrastructure optimization and deferral.Aquesta tesi vol contribuir en el desplegament de les futures xarxes elèctriques intel.ligents, en entorns rurals que habitualment són oblidats. Cal mencionar que els principals avenços tecnològics i les inversions per part dels gestors de la xarxa s'han centrat en entorns urbans i industrials, ja que aquests solen demandar grans quantitats d'energia, fet que facilita la recuperació de la inversió. Per tant, en un entorn on la densitat de població i la demanda energètica és baixa i a més l'orografia és complexa resulta menys atractiu invertir-hi. Per aquest motiu, la tesi, en paral.lel al projecte Europeu Smart Rural Grid, s'ha centrat en el desenvolupament de les xarxes elèctriques en entorns rurals. El principal objectiu de la tesi i alhora del projecte Smart Rural Grid és desenvolupar tecnologies per concebre les futures xarxes en entorns rurals. Aquestes han de permetre incrementar la baixa eficiència, qualitat i resiliència de la xarxa. En aquest sentit, la tesi ha contribuït en la concepció, disseny i justificació d'una innovadora arquitectura. Aquesta arquitectura, s'ha dut a terme en el final d'una línia de mitja tensió d'Estabanell Energia a Vallfogona del Ripollès. A més, aquesta arquitectura es caracteritza per integrar electrònica de potència, sistemes elèctrics d'emmagatzemament, un innovador sistema de gestió i de telecomunicacions, poden proporcionar a la xarxa una major robustesa, flexibilitat i capacitat per integrar a la nova generació distribuïda i renovable. D'altre banda, la Tesi també s'ha centrat en la concepció i desenvolupament de nous modes d'operació, algoritmes i dispositius que permeten automatitzar i optimitzar la gestió dels recursos distribuïts; és a dir, la electrònica de potència, els sistemes d'emmagatzemament, la generació renovable i distribuïda i les càrregues controlables. Aquestes estratègies permeten solventar els problemes habituals en aquest tipus de xarxes, com per exemple les variacions de tensió i les pèrdues. A més, també milloren i asseguren la qualitat i continuïtat del subministrament, ajuden a reduir els costos d'operació i retrassar la inversió en nova infraestructur

    Developing a mHealth-based portable ultrasound platform for breast cancer screening

    Get PDF
    Background Breast cancer is amongst the 10 most common cancers globally. The disease burden is increasing rapidly in Sub-Saharan African countries, where women living in rural and or remote areas are particularly prone to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. This is due to the limited availability of advanced screening and diagnostic options. Ultrasound is a feasible screening tool for breast cancer, due to its portability, affordability and accuracy. The integration of mHealth with portable ultrasound enables the provision of screening services in rural and remote areas, through electronic consultation by a non-specialist with a specialist for interpretation and reporting of the ultrasound results. This project developed an application for a mHealth-based portable ultrasound platform that could be used by a non-specialist to provide breast cancer screening services with remote specialist support. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted for the period of 2004 to 2019 to gather evidence on the use of mHealth-based portable ultrasound platforms for improved access to ultrasound services like breast cancer screening. The evidence from the literature was used to design and develop a prototype of an application for a mHealth-based portable ultrasound platform suitable for breast cancer screening. The prototype application was integrated with a mobile-based portable ultrasound from Philips Lumify. Images generated by scanning a phantom breast using the portable ultrasound were uploaded onto the application and downloaded from the application to demonstrate the concept. Results The systematic review showed only two clinical conditions (obstetrics and cardiovascular disease) which used a mHealth-based portable ultrasound platform. The outcomes from the studies showed improved access to the respective ultrasound services in terms of patient management, early detection, improved quality of care and increased patient attendance, which resulted in access to other services. The integration of the prototype application with a mobile-based portable ultrasound resulted into a mHealthbased portable ultrasound platform prototype intended for breast cancer screening. The ability to upload images onto the platform and download images from the platform satisfied the design requirements for the platform. Conclusion A mHealth-based portable ultrasound prototype was developed, which has potential for improving access to breast cancer screening services. Further research including testing of the application with health professionals and patients is recommended to strengthen the feasibility of the concept

    A “Net-Centric” conduct of navigation and ship management

    Get PDF
    Following the so-called “Industrial Revolution”, the shipping industry has benefitted from a very extended number of technology innovations. Over time, shipbuilding practices and the equipment of ships have been significantly improved. Furthermore, during the last couple of decades, the continuous improvement and integration- interconnection of electronics systems (the “network-centric” approach), have created a new operating environment for shipping. It is therefore not a coincidence that recent discussions on digitalization and autonomous ships provide a disruptive picture of how this industry may be transformed in the near future. Contemporary sea-going vessels are equipped with various technologically advanced systems and are highly automated. Today, all systems supporting the conduct of navigation and the various information technology (IT) applications related to ship management activities are heavily reliant upon real-time information to safely/effectively fulfil their allocated tasks. The issues of connectivity and interconnection clearly stand out. It is important to assess how navigation will be conducted in the near future. This analysis is based on a qualitative methodology, and its starting point, which also serves as the necessary “literature review”, is to identify and briefly discuss a certain number of technological developments that follow the network-centric architecture and have been recently introduced as equipment appropriate for ships. Next, it will examine how interactive processes and applications, both on the shore side and onboard vessels, can facilitate a safer working environment for seafarers and allow personnel based ashore to have a better understanding of what is happening at sea, as part of explaining the so-called “net-centric” framework of operations. Another important aim is to evaluate these promising technological trends according to their capacity of adoption in order to promote efficient and safe operations within the extended maritime transport domain. An important conclusion is that a net-centric philosophy and associated software applications can truly break down any existing limitations and create a collaborative environment for people and “machines”, including remotely controlled unmanned vessels

    Smart ports: towards a high performance, increased productivity, and a better environment

    Get PDF
    Ports are currently competing fiercely for capital and global investments in order to improve revenues, mostly by improving performance and lowering labor costs. Smart ports are a fantastic approach to realize these elements since they integrate information and communication technologies within smart applications, ultimately contributing to port management improvement. This leads to greater performance and lower operational expenses. As a result, several ports in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America have gone smart. However, there are a lot of critical factors to consider when automating port operations, such as greenhouse gas emissions, which have reached alarming proportions. The purpose of this study is to define the most essential tasks conducted by smart ports, such as the smart ship industry, smart gantry and quayside container cranes, transport automation, smart containers, and energy efficiency. Furthermore, it gives a model of the smart port concept and highlights the critical current technologies on which the ports are based. Each technology’s most significant contributions to its development are noted. This technology is compared to more traditional technologies. It is hoped that this effort would pique the curiosity of fresh researchers in this sector
    corecore