87 research outputs found
Evaluation of acceleration sensation induced by proprioception on a motorcycle simulator
This master thesis was carried out to solve the lack of a mechanism to represent longterm
accelerations in motorcycle simulators. It proposes a construction, named G-Vest,
specifically designed to stimulate the somatosensory system.
The G-Vest is capable of simulating acceleration effects by producing pressure variations
to activate the mechanoreception and proprioception. The prototype consists of a vest
actuated by electric motors, which create a force backwards. The system can be easily
integrated into a motorcycle simulator, like the one at BMW Motorrad. This work carries
out a research study to prove the functionality of the G-Vest.
Twenty participants conducted a study in which they reproduced three accelerations up
to a velocity of 50, 100 and 150 km/h and a free ride with and without the G-Vest active.
The results induced by the G-Vest show that the inertial and airflow-induced forces can
be represented by a surface pressure on the torso and the perception of acceleration is
realistic without exciting the vestibular system. Besides, the comfort of the G-Vest and
the guaranteed freedom of movement on the motorcycle are also noteworthy.
This work opens up a new avenue of investigation where the G-Vest is the starting point
in the representation of long-term accelerations on motorcycle simulators
Model-Based Control Techniques for Automotive Applications
Two different topics are covered in the thesis.
Model Predictive Control applied to the Motion Cueing Problem
In the last years the interest about dynamic driving simulators is increasing and new commercial solutions are arising. Driving simulators play an important role in the development of new vehicles and advanced driver assistance devices:
in fact, on the one hand, having a human driver on a driving
simulator allows automotive manufacturers to bridge the gap between virtual prototyping and on-road testing during the vehicle development phase; on the other hand, novel driver assistance systems (such as advanced accident avoidance systems) can be safely tested by having the driver operating the vehicle in a virtual, highly realistic environment, while being exposed to hazardous situations. In both applications, it is crucial to faithfully reproduce in the simulator the driver's perception of forces acting on the vehicle and its acceleration. This has to be achieved while keeping the platform within its limited operation space. Such strategies go under the name of Motion Cueing Algorithms.
In this work, a particular implementation of a Motion Cueing algorithm is described, that is based on Model Predictive Control technique. A distinctive feature of such approach is that it exploits a detailed model of the human vestibular system, and consequently differs from standard Motion Cueing strategies based on Washout Filters: such feature allows for better implementation of tilt coordination and more efficient handling of the platform limits.
The algorithm has been evaluated in practice on a small-size,
innovative platform, by performing tests with professional drivers. Results show that the MPC-based motion cueing algorithm allows to effectively handle the platform working area, to limit the presence of those platform movements that are typically associated with driver motion sickness, and to devise simple and intuitive tuning procedures.
Moreover, the availability of an effective virtual driver allows the development of effective predictive strategies, and first simulation results are reported in the thesis.
Control Techniques for a Hybrid Sport Motorcycle
Reduction of the environmental impact of transportation systems is a world wide priority. Hybrid propulsion vehicles have proved to have a strong potential to this regard, and different four-wheels solutions have spread out in the market. Differently from cars, and even if they are considered the ideal solution for urban mobility, motorbikes and mopeds have not seen a wide application of hybrid propulsion yet, mostly due to the more strict constraints on available space and driving feeling.
In the thesis, the problem of providing a commercial 125cc motorbike with a hybrid propulsion system is considered, by adding an electric engine to its standard internal combustion engine. The aim for the prototype is to use the electrical machine (directly keyed on the drive shaft) to obtain a torque boost during accelerations, improving and regularizing the supplied power while reducing the emissions.
Two different control algorithms are proposed
1) the first is based on a standard heuristic with adaptive features, simpler to implement on the ECU for the prototype;
2) the second is a torque-split optimal-control strategy, managing the different contributions from the two engines.
A crucial point is the implementation of a Simulink virtual environment, realized starting from a commercial tool, VI-BikeRealTime, to test the algorithms. The hybrid engine model has been implemented in the tool from scratch, as well as a simple battery model, derived directly from data-sheet characteristics by using polynomial interpolation. The
simulation system is completed by a virtual rider and a tool for
build test circuits.
Results of the simulations on a realistic track are included, to evaluate the different performance of the two strategies in a closed loop environment (thanks to the virtual rider). The results from on-track tests of the real prototype, using the first control strategy, are reported too
Behavioural morphisms in virtual environments
One of the largest application domains for Virtual Reality lies in simulating the Real
World. Contemporary applications of virtual environments include training devices for
surgery, component assembly and maintenance, all of which require a high fidelity
reproduction of psychomotor skills. One extremely important research question in this
field is:
"How closely does our facsimile of a real task in a virtual environment reproduce that
Task?"
At present the field of Virtual Reality is answering this question in subjective terms by the
concept of presence and in objective terms by measures of task performance or training
effectiveness ratios. [Continues.
GPU Computing for Cognitive Robotics
This thesis presents the first investigation of the impact of GPU
computing on cognitive robotics by providing a series of novel experiments in
the area of action and language acquisition in humanoid robots and computer
vision. Cognitive robotics is concerned with endowing robots with high-level
cognitive capabilities to enable the achievement of complex goals in complex
environments. Reaching the ultimate goal of developing cognitive robots will
require tremendous amounts of computational power, which was until
recently provided mostly by standard CPU processors. CPU cores are
optimised for serial code execution at the expense of parallel execution, which
renders them relatively inefficient when it comes to high-performance
computing applications. The ever-increasing market demand for
high-performance, real-time 3D graphics has evolved the GPU into a highly
parallel, multithreaded, many-core processor extraordinary computational
power and very high memory bandwidth. These vast computational resources
of modern GPUs can now be used by the most of the cognitive robotics models
as they tend to be inherently parallel. Various interesting and insightful
cognitive models were developed and addressed important scientific questions
concerning action-language acquisition and computer vision. While they have
provided us with important scientific insights, their complexity and
application has not improved much over the last years. The experimental
tasks as well as the scale of these models are often minimised to avoid
excessive training times that grow exponentially with the number of neurons
and the training data. This impedes further progress and development of
complex neurocontrollers that would be able to take the cognitive robotics
research a step closer to reaching the ultimate goal of creating intelligent
machines. This thesis presents several cases where the application of the GPU
computing on cognitive robotics algorithms resulted in the development of
large-scale neurocontrollers of previously unseen complexity enabling the
conducting of the novel experiments described herein.European Commission Seventh Framework
Programm
Autonomous Vehicles
This edited volume, Autonomous Vehicles, is a collection of reviewed and relevant research chapters, offering a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the field of vehicle autonomy. The book comprises nine chapters authored by various researchers and edited by an expert active in the field of study. All chapters are complete in itself but united under a common research study topic. This publication aims to provide a thorough overview of the latest research efforts by international authors, open new possible research paths for further novel developments, and to inspire the younger generations into pursuing relevant academic studies and professional careers within the autonomous vehicle field
Spinoff 2008: 50 Years of NASA-Derived Technologies (1958-2008)
NASA Technology Benefiting Society subject headings include: Health and Medicine, Transportation, Public Safety, Consumer, Home and Recreation, Environmental and Agricultural Resources, Computer Technology, and Industrial Productivity. Other topics covered include: Aeronautics and Space Activities, Education News, Partnership News, and the Innovative Partnership Program
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter 2013 Annual Conference:Human Factors: sustainable life and mobility
On the occasion of the 2013 Meeting in Torino, Ital
- …