A robot swarm assisting a human fire-fighter

Emergencies in industrial warehouses are a major concern for fire-fighters. The large dimensions, together with the development of dense smoke that drastically reduces visibility, represent major challenges. The GUARDIANS robot swarm is designed to assist fire-fighters in searching a large warehouse. In this paper we discuss the technology developed for a swarm of robots assisting fire-fighters. We explain the swarming algorithms that provide the functionality by which the robots react to and follow humans while no communication is required. Next we discuss the wireless communication system, which is a so-called mobile ad-hoc network. The communication network provides also the means to locate the robots and humans. Thus, the robot swarm is able to provide guidance information to the humans. Together with the fire-fighters we explored how the robot swarm should feed information back to the human fire-fighter. We have designed and experimented with interfaces for presenting swarm-based information to human beings

GUARDIANS final report

Emergencies in industrial warehouses are a major concern for firefghters. The large dimensions together with the development of dense smoke that drastically reduces visibility, represent major challenges. The Guardians robot swarm is designed to assist fire fighters in searching a large warehouse. In this report we discuss the technology developed for a swarm of robots searching and assisting fire fighters. We explain the swarming algorithms which provide the functionality by which the robots react to and follow humans while no communication is required. Next we discuss the wireless communication system, which is a so-called mobile ad-hoc network. The communication network provides also one of the means to locate the robots and humans. Thus the robot swarm is able to locate itself and provide guidance information to the humans. Together with the re ghters we explored how the robot swarm should feed information back to the human fire fighter. We have designed and experimented with interfaces for presenting swarm based information to human beings

GUARDIANS final report part 1 (draft): a robot swarm assisting a human fire fighter

Emergencies in industrial warehouses are a major concern for fire fighters. The large dimensions together with the development of dense smoke that drastically reduces visibility, represent major challenges. The Guardians robot swarm is designed to assist re ghters in searching a large warehouse. In this paper we discuss the technology developed for a swarm of robots assisting re ghters. We explain the swarming algorithms which provide the functionality by which the robots react to and follow humans while no communication is required. Next we discuss the wireless communication system, which is a so-called mobile ad-hoc network. The communication network provides also the means to locate the robots and humans. Thus the robot swarm is able to provide guidance information to the humans. Together with the fire fighters we explored how the robot swarm should feed information back to the human fire fighter. We have designed and experimented with interfaces for presenting swarm based information to human beings

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 341)

This bibliography lists 133 reports, articles and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System during September 1990. Subject coverage includes: aerospace medicine and psychology, life support systems and controlled environments, safety equipment, exobiology and extraterrestrial life, and flight crew behavior and performance

On Dynamics of Integrate-and-Fire Neural Networks with Conductance Based Synapses

We present a mathematical analysis of a networks with Integrate-and-Fire neurons and adaptive conductances. Taking into account the realistic fact that the spike time is only known within some \textit{finite} precision, we propose a model where spikes are effective at times multiple of a characteristic time scale $\delta$, where $\delta$ can be \textit{arbitrary} small (in particular, well beyond the numerical precision). We make a complete mathematical characterization of the model-dynamics and obtain the following results. The asymptotic dynamics is composed by finitely many stable periodic orbits, whose number and period can be arbitrary large and can diverge in a region of the synaptic weights space, traditionally called the "edge of chaos", a notion mathematically well defined in the present paper. Furthermore, except at the edge of chaos, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the membrane potential trajectories and the raster plot. This shows that the neural code is entirely "in the spikes" in this case. As a key tool, we introduce an order parameter, easy to compute numerically, and closely related to a natural notion of entropy, providing a relevant characterization of the computational capabilities of the network. This allows us to compare the computational capabilities of leaky and Integrate-and-Fire models and conductance based models. The present study considers networks with constant input, and without time-dependent plasticity, but the framework has been designed for both extensions.Comment: 36 pages, 9 figure

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 162, January 1977

This bibliography lists 189 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in December 1976

Design of a Specialized UAV Platform for the Discharge of a Fire Extinguishing Capsule

Tato práce se zabývá návrhem systému specializovaného pro autonomní detekci a lokalizaci požárů z palubních senzorů bezpilotních helikoptér. Hašení požárů je zajištěno automatickým vystřelením ampule s hasící kapalinou do zdroje požáru z palubního vystřelovače. Hlavní část této práce se soustředí na detekci požárů v datech termální kamery a jejich následnou lokalizaci ve světě za pomoci palubní hloubkové kamery. Bezpilotní helikoptéra je poté optimálně navigována na pozici pro zajištění průletu ampule s hasící kapalinou do zdroje požáru. Vyvinuté metody jsou detailně analyzovány a jejich chování je testováno jak v simulaci, tak současně i při reálných experimentech. Kvalitativní a kvantitativní analýza ukazuje na použitelnost a robustnost celého systému.This thesis deals with the design of an unmanned multirotor aircraft system specialized for autonomous detection and localization of fires from onboard sensors, and the task of fast and effective fire extinguishment. The main part of this thesis focuses on the detection of fires in thermal images and their localization in the world using an onboard depth camera. The localized fires are used to optimally position the unmanned aircraft in order to effectively discharge an ampoule filled with a fire extinguishant from an onboard launcher. The developed methods are analyzed in detail and their performance is evaluated in simulation scenarios as well as in real-world experiments. The included quantitative and qualitative analysis verifies the feasibility and robustness of the system

High speed sCMOS-based oblique plane microscopy applied to the study of calcium dynamics in cardiac myocytes

blique plane microscopy (OPM) is a form of light sheet microscopy that uses a single high numerical aperture microscope objective for both fluorescence excitation and collection. In this paper, measurements of the relative collection efficiency of OPM are presented. An OPM system incorporating two sCMOS cameras is then introduced that enables single isolated cardiac myocytes to be studied continuously for 22 seconds in two dimensions at 667 frames per second with 960 × 200 pixels and for 30 seconds with 960 × 200 × 20 voxels at 25 volumes per second. In both cases OPM is able to record in two spectral channels, enabling intracellular calcium to be studied via the probe Fluo-4 AM simultaneously with the sarcolemma and transverse tubule network via the membrane dye Cellmask Orange. The OPM system was then applied to determine the spatial origin of spontaneous calcium waves for the first time and to measure the cell transverse tubule structure at their point of origin. Further results are presented to demonstrate that the OPM system can also be used to study calcium spark parameters depending on their relationship to the transverse tubule structure

Visualization of auditory masking for firefighter alarm detection

textAn essential piece of firefi ghter equipment is the Personal Alert Safety System (PASS), which emits an alarm when a fire fighter has been inactive for a specified period of time and is used to find and rescue downed firefighters. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) firefighter fatality reports suggest that there have been instances when the PASS alarm is not audible by other firefighters on the scene. This thesis seeks to use acoustic models to measure the sound pressure level of various signals throughout a structure. With this information, a visual representation will be created to map where a PASS alarm is audible and where it is masked by noise sources. This thesis presents an initial audibility study, including temporal masking and frequency analysis. The results are compared to auralizations and experimental data. Some other potential applications will be briefly explored.Mechanical Engineerin