Spatio-Temporal Patterns act as Computational Mechanisms governing Emergent behavior in Robotic Swarms

open access articleOur goal is to control a robotic swarm without removing its swarm-like nature. In other words, we aim to intrinsically control a robotic swarm emergent behavior. Past attempts at governing robotic swarms or their selfcoordinating emergent behavior, has proven ineffective, largely due to the swarm’s inherent randomness (making it difficult to predict) and utter simplicity (they lack a leader, any kind of centralized control, long-range communication, global knowledge, complex internal models and only operate on a couple of basic, reactive rules). The main problem is that emergent phenomena itself is not fully understood, despite being at the forefront of current research. Research into 1D and 2D Cellular Automata has uncovered a hidden computational layer which bridges the micromacro gap (i.e., how individual behaviors at the micro-level influence the global behaviors on the macro-level). We hypothesize that there also lie embedded computational mechanisms at the heart of a robotic swarm’s emergent behavior. To test this theory, we proceeded to simulate robotic swarms (represented as both particles and dynamic networks) and then designed local rules to induce various types of intelligent, emergent behaviors (as well as designing genetic algorithms to evolve robotic swarms with emergent behaviors). Finally, we analysed these robotic swarms and successfully confirmed our hypothesis; analyzing their developments and interactions over time revealed various forms of embedded spatiotemporal patterns which store, propagate and parallel process information across the swarm according to some internal, collision-based logic (solving the mystery of how simple robots are able to self-coordinate and allow global behaviors to emerge across the swarm)

On dynamic control of structural vibrations research activities conducted within the covicocepad project

This paper provides an overview on the latest research and development (R&D) activities carried out under the project entitled Comparison of Vibration Control in Civil Engineering Using Passive and Active Dampers (COVICOCEPAD) which was executed within the framework of the Eurocores project, as a part of the sixth European program. The general interest of the paper relies upon the variety of presented highlights relevant to structural control research streams currently under development in a number of European universities, addressing the use of tuned liquid dampers (TLD), base isolation devices, magneto-rheological (MR) dampers and a hybrid technique using both devices together. The paper also provides details of a few new testing equipments which are in use of the relevant laboratories. Finally, research projects in the field of structural control at the involved research institutes are reviewed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Automated Tugboat Assisted Docking of Large Vessels

The main research aspect behind this project was the problem in docking the ship to the port with limited space and resources available, causing number of onsite accidents and loss of resources. The main objective is to increase safety on ports, reduce pollution and increase fuel efficiency, also reduce the docking time for the vessels, which can be achieved by developing an autonomous docking system involving automated operations of tugboats, the port, and the vessel itself using control systems with limited involvement from human. This requires the development of a predictive control path for each component involved in the process. This is a long-term goal and requires a lot of research work and prototyping. In this thesis work, some studies will be carried out from past research work related to the problems focused on this project and the solutions provided to tackle these problems. Further data will be extracted along with all the essential equations and based on it; mathematical model will be developed as well as the development of path trajectory algorithm will be carried out. Also, its feasibility will be tested using simulation-based prototyping

Proceedings of the 84th European Study Group Mathematics with Industry (SWI 2012), Eindhoven, January 30 - February 3, 2012

Introduction There are a few welldefined moments when mathematicians can get in contact with relevant unsolved problems proposed by the industry. One such a moment is the socalled "Study Group". The concept of the Study Group is rather simple and quite efficient: A group of mathematicians (of very different expertise) work together for one week. As a rule, on a Monday the industrial problems are presented by their owners, then few research groups selforganize around the proposed problems and work intensively until Friday, when the main findings are presented. The insight obtained via mathematical modeling together with the transfer of suitable mathematical technology usually lead the groups to adequate approximate solutions. As a direct consequence of this fact, the problem owners often decide to benefit more from such knowledge transfer and suggest related followup projects. In the period January 31– February 3, 2012, it was the turn of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Eindhoven University of Technology to organize and to host the "Studiegroep Wiskunde met de Industrie/Study Group Mathematics with the Industry" (shortly: SWI 2012, but also referred to as ESG 84, or as the 84th European Study Group with Industry). This was the occasion when about 80 mathematicians enjoyed working on six problems. Most of the participants were coming from a Dutch university, while a few were from abroad (e.g. from UK, Germany, France, India, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka). The open industrial problems were proposed by Endinet, Philips Lighting, Thales, Marin, Tata Steel, and Bartels Engineering. Their solutions are shown in this proceedings. They combine ingenious mathematical modeling with specific mathematical tools like geometric algorithms, combinatorial optimization of networks, identification of parameters and model structures, probability theory, and statistical data analysis. It is worth mentioning that this scientific proceedings is accompanied by a popular proceedings, written by Ionica Smeets, containing layman’s descriptions of the proposed problems and of the corresponding results

Proceedings of the 84th European Study Group Mathematics with Industry (SWI 2012), Eindhoven, January 30 - February 3, 2012

Introduction There are a few welldefined moments when mathematicians can get in contact with relevant unsolved problems proposed by the industry. One such a moment is the socalled "Study Group". The concept of the Study Group is rather simple and quite efficient: A group of mathematicians (of very different expertise) work together for one week. As a rule, on a Monday the industrial problems are presented by their owners, then few research groups selforganize around the proposed problems and work intensively until Friday, when the main findings are presented. The insight obtained via mathematical modeling together with the transfer of suitable mathematical technology usually lead the groups to adequate approximate solutions. As a direct consequence of this fact, the problem owners often decide to benefit more from such knowledge transfer and suggest related followup projects. In the period January 31– February 3, 2012, it was the turn of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Eindhoven University of Technology to organize and to host the "Studiegroep Wiskunde met de Industrie/Study Group Mathematics with the Industry" (shortly: SWI 2012, but also referred to as ESG 84, or as the 84th European Study Group with Industry). This was the occasion when about 80 mathematicians enjoyed working on six problems. Most of the participants were coming from a Dutch university, while a few were from abroad (e.g. from UK, Germany, France, India, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka). The open industrial problems were proposed by Endinet, Philips Lighting, Thales, Marin, Tata Steel, and Bartels Engineering. Their solutions are shown in this proceedings. They combine ingenious mathematical modeling with specific mathematical tools like geometric algorithms, combinatorial optimization of networks, identification of parameters and model structures, probability theory, and statistical data analysis. It is worth mentioning that this scientific proceedings is accompanied by a popular proceedings, written by Ionica Smeets, containing layman’s descriptions of the proposed problems and of the corresponding results

Localisation of humans, objects and robots interacting on load-sensing floors

International audienceLocalisation, tracking and recognition of objects and humans are basic tasks that are of high value in applications of ambient intelligence. Sensing floors were introduced to address these tasks in a non-intrusive way. To recognize the humans moving on the floor, they are usually first localized, and then a set of gait features are extracted (stride length, cadence, pressure profile over a footstep). However, recognition generally fails when several people stand or walk together, preventing successful tracking. This paper presents a detection, tracking and recognition technique which uses objects' weight. It continues working even when tracking individual persons becomes impossible. Inspired by computer vision, this technique processes the floor pressure-image by segmenting the blobs containing objects, tracking them, and recognizing their contents through a mix of inference and combinatorial search. The result lists the probabilities of assignments of known objects to observed blobs. The concept was successfully evaluated in daily life activity scenarii, involving multi-object tracking and recognition on low resolution sensors, crossing of user trajectories, and weight ambiguity. This technique can be used to provide a probabilistic input for multi-modal object tracking and recognition systems

Growing super stable tensegrity frameworks

This paper discusses methods for growing tensegrity frameworks akin to what are now known as Henneberg constructions, which apply to bar-joint frameworks. In particular, the paper presents tensegrity framework versions of the three key Henneberg constructions of vertex addition, edge splitting and framework merging (whereby separate frameworks are combined into a larger framework). This is done for super stable tensegrity frameworks in an ambient two or three-dimensional space. We start with the operation of adding a new vertex to an original super stable tensegrity framework, named vertex addition. We prove that the new tensegrity framework can be super stable as well if the new vertex is attached to the original framework by an appropriate number of members, which include struts or cables, with suitably assigned stresses. Edge splitting can be secured in R2 (R3) by adding a vertex joined to three (four) existing vertices, two of which are connected by a member, and then removing that member. This procedure, with appropriate selection of struts or cables, preserves super-stability. In d dimensional ambient space, merging two super stable frameworks sharing at least d + 1 vertices that are in general positions, we show that the resulting tensegrity framework is still super stable. Based on these results, we further investigate the strategies of merging two super stable tensegrity frameworks in IRd; (d 2 f2; 3g)that share fewer than d + 1 vertices, and show how they may be merged through the insertion of struts or cables as appropriate between the two structures, with a super stable structure resulting from the merge