21,714 research outputs found
Robotic Ironing with 3D Perception and Force/Torque Feedback in Household Environments
As robotic systems become more popular in household environments, the
complexity of required tasks also increases. In this work we focus on a
domestic chore deemed dull by a majority of the population, the task of
ironing. The presented algorithm improves on the limited number of previous
works by joining 3D perception with force/torque sensing, with emphasis on
finding a practical solution with a feasible implementation in a domestic
setting. Our algorithm obtains a point cloud representation of the working
environment. From this point cloud, the garment is segmented and a custom
Wrinkleness Local Descriptor (WiLD) is computed to determine the location of
the present wrinkles. Using this descriptor, the most suitable ironing path is
computed and, based on it, the manipulation algorithm performs the
force-controlled ironing operation. Experiments have been performed with a
humanoid robot platform, proving that our algorithm is able to detect
successfully wrinkles present in garments and iteratively reduce the
wrinkleness using an unmodified iron.Comment: Accepted and to be published on the 2017 IEEE/RSJ International
Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2017) that will be held in
Vancouver, Canada, September 24-28, 201
Reliable postprocessing improvement of van der Waals heterostructures
The successful assembly of heterostructures consisting of several layers of
different 2D materials in arbitrary order by exploiting van der Waals forces
has truly been a game changer in the field of low dimensional physics. For
instance, the encapsulation of graphene or MoS2 between atomically flat
hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layers with strong affinity and graphitic gates
that screen charge impurity disorder provided access to a plethora of
interesting physical phenomena by drastically boosting the device quality. The
encapsulation is accompanied by a self-cleansing effect at the interfaces. The
otherwise predominant charged impurity disorder is minimized and random strain
fluctuations ultimately constitute the main source of residual disorder.
Despite these advances, the fabricated heterostructures still vary notably in
their performance. While some achieve record mobilities, others only possess
mediocre quality. Here, we report a reliable method to improve fully completed
van der Waals heterostructure devices with a straightforward post-processing
surface treatment based on thermal annealing and contact mode AFM. The impact
is demonstrated by comparing magnetotransport measurements before and after the
AFM treatment on one and the same device as well as on a larger set of treated
and untreated devices to collect device statistics. Both the low temperature
properties as well as the room temperature electrical characteristics, as
relevant for applications, improve on average substantially. We surmise that
the main beneficial effect arises from reducing nanometer scale corrugations at
the interfaces, i.e. the detrimental impact of random strain fluctuations
Investigation of Two Clothing and Apparel Factories in China: Excessive Overtime, Student Workers, and Exploitative Wage Systems
This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.CLW_investigation2clothingfactories.pdf: 4479 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020
What I could make of mothering: matricentric puppetry and the mothers of the bestiary
Published versio
- …