On-the-fly memory compression for multibody algorithms.

Memory and bandwidth demands challenge developers of particle-based codes that have to scale on new architectures, as the growth of concurrency outperforms improvements in memory access facilities, as the memory per core tends to stagnate, and as communication networks cannot increase bandwidth arbitrary. We propose to analyse each particle of such a code to find out whether a hierarchical data representation storing data with reduced precision caps the memory demands without exceeding given error bounds. For admissible candidates, we perform this compression and thus reduce the pressure on the memory subsystem, lower the total memory footprint and reduce the data to be exchanged via MPI. Notably, our analysis and transformation changes the data compression dynamically, i.e. the choice of data format follows the solution characteristics, and it does not require us to alter the core simulation code

On-the-fly memory compression for multibody algorithms

Memory and bandwidth demands challenge developers of particle-based codes that have to scale on new architectures, as the growth of concurrency outperforms improvements in memory access facilities, as the memory per core tends to stagnate, and as communication networks cannot increase bandwidth arbitrary. We propose to analyse each particle of such a code to find out whether a hierarchical data representation storing data with reduced precision caps the memory demands without exceeding given error bounds. For admissible candidates, we perform this compression and thus reduce the pressure on the memory subsystem, lower the total memory footprint and reduce the data to be exchanged via MPI. Notably, our analysis and transformation changes the data compression dynamically, i.e. the choice of data format follows the solution characteristics, and it does not require us to alter the core simulation code

Articular human joint modelling

Copyright @ Cambridge University Press 2009.The work reported in this paper encapsulates the theories and algorithms developed to drive the core analysis modules of the software which has been developed to model a musculoskeletal structure of anatomic joints. Due to local bone surface and contact geometry based joint kinematics, newly developed algorithms make the proposed modeller different from currently available modellers. There are many modellers that are capable of modelling gross human body motion. Nevertheless, none of the available modellers offer complete elements of joint modelling. It appears that joint modelling is an extension of their core analysis capability, which, in every case, appears to be musculoskeletal motion dynamics. It is felt that an analysis framework that is focused on human joints would have significant benefit and potential to be used in many orthopaedic applications. The local mobility of joints has a significant influence in human motion analysis, in understanding of joint loading, tissue behaviour and contact forces. However, in order to develop a bone surface based joint modeller, there are a number of major problems, from tissue idealizations to surface geometry discretization and non-linear motion analysis. This paper presents the following: (a) The physical deformation of biological tissues as linear or non-linear viscoelastic deformation, based on spring-dashpot elements. (b) The linear dynamic multibody modelling, where the linear formulation is established for small motions and is particularly useful for calculating the equilibrium position of the joint. This model can also be used for finding small motion behaviour or loading under static conditions. It also has the potential of quantifying the joint laxity. (c) The non-linear dynamic multibody modelling, where a non-matrix and algorithmic formulation is presented. The approach allows handling complex material and geometrical nonlinearity easily. (d) Shortest path algorithms for calculating soft tissue line of action geometries. The developed algorithms are based on calculating minimum ‘surface mass’ and ‘surface covariance’. An improved version of the ‘surface covariance’ algorithm is described as ‘residual covariance’. The resulting path is used to establish the direction of forces and moments acting on joints. This information is needed for linear or non-linear treatment of the joint motion. (e) The final contribution of the paper is the treatment of the collision. In the virtual world, the difficulty in analysing bodies in motion arises due to body interpenetrations. The collision algorithm proposed in the paper involves finding the shortest projected ray from one body to the other. The projection of the body is determined by the resultant forces acting on it due to soft tissue connections under tension. This enables the calculation of collision condition of non-convex objects accurately. After the initial collision detection, the analysis involves attaching special springs (stiffness only normal to the surfaces) at the ‘potentially colliding points’ and motion of bodies is recalculated. The collision algorithm incorporates the rotation as well as translation. The algorithm continues until the joint equilibrium is achieved. Finally, the results obtained based on the software are compared with experimental results obtained using cadaveric joints

Development and application of unified algorithms for problems in computational science

A framework is presented for developing computationally unified numerical algorithms for solving nonlinear equations that arise in modeling various problems in mathematical physics. The concept of computational unification is an attempt to encompass efficient solution procedures for computing various nonlinear phenomena that may occur in a given problem. For example, in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a unified algorithm will be one that allows for solutions to subsonic (elliptic), transonic (mixed elliptic-hyperbolic), and supersonic (hyperbolic) flows for both steady and unsteady problems. The objectives are: development of superior unified algorithms emphasizing accuracy and efficiency aspects; development of codes based on selected algorithms leading to validation; application of mature codes to realistic problems; and extension/application of CFD-based algorithms to problems in other areas of mathematical physics. The ultimate objective is to achieve integration of multidisciplinary technologies to enhance synergism in the design process through computational simulation. Specific unified algorithms for a hierarchy of gas dynamics equations and their applications to two other areas: electromagnetic scattering, and laser-materials interaction accounting for melting

Mechanics and Control of Human Balance

A predictive, forward-dynamic model and computer simulation of human gait has important medical and research applications. Most human simulation work has focused on inverse dynamics studies to quantify bone on bone forces and muscle loads. Inverse dynamics is not predictive - it works backwards from experimentally measured motions in an effort to find the forces that caused the motion. In contrast, forward dynamics determines how a mechanism will move without the need for experimentation. Most of the forward dynamic gait simulations reported consider only one step, foot contact is not modeled, and balance controllers are not used. This thesis addresses a few of the shortcomings of current human gait simulations by contributing an experimentally validated foot contact model, a model-based stance controller, and an experimentally validated model of the relationship between foot placement location and balance. The goal of a predictive human gait simulation is to determine how a human would walk under a condition of interest, such as walking across a slippery floor, using a new lower limb prosthesis, or with reduced leg strength. To achieve this goal, often many different gaits are simulated and the one that is the most human-like is chosen as the prediction for how a person would move. Thus it is necessary to quantify how `human-like' a candidate gait is. Human walking is very efficient, and so, the metabolic efficiency of the candidate gait is most often used to measure the performance of a candidate gait. Muscles consume metabolic energy as a function of the tension they develop and the rate at which they are contracting. Muscle tension is developed, and contractions are made in an effort generate torques about joints in order to make them move. To predict human gait, it is necessary for the simulation to be able to walk in such a way that the simulated leg joints use similar joint torques and kinematics as a human leg does, all while balancing the body. The joint torques that the legs must develop to propel the body forward, and balance it, are heavily influenced by the ground reaction forces developed between the simulated foot and the ground. A predictive gait simulation must be able to control the model so that it can walk, and remain balanced while generating ground reaction force profiles that are similar to experimentally observed human ground reaction force profiles. Ground reaction forces are shaped by the way the foot interacts with the ground, making it very important to model the human foot accurately. Most continuous foot contact models present in the literature have been experimentally validated using pendulum impact methods that have since been shown to produce inaccurate results. The planar foot contact model developed as part of this research was validated in-vivo using conventional force plates and optical tracking markers. The experimental data was also highly useful for developing a computationally efficient foot model by identifying the dominant contact properties of a real foot (during walking), without the complexity of modelling the 26 bones, 33 joints, over 90 ligaments, and the network of muscles that are in a real foot. Both ground reaction forces and the balance of the model are heavily influenced by the way the stance limb is controlled. Anthropomorphic multibody models typically have a fragile sense of balance, and ground reaction force profiles that do not look similar to experimentally measured human ground reaction force profiles. In contrast, the simple point-mass spring-loaded-inverted-pendulum (SLIP) can be made to walk or run in a balanced manner with center-of-mass (COM) kinematics and ground reaction force profiles that could be mistaken for the equivalent human data. A stance limb controller is proposed that uses a planar SLIP to compute a reference trajectory for a planar anthropomorphic multibody gait model. The torso of the anthropomorphic model is made to track the computed trajectory of the SLIP using a control system. The aim of this partitioned approach to gait simulation is to endow the anthropomorphic model with the human-like gait of the simpler SLIP model. Although the SLIP model-based stance-controller allows an anthropomorphic gait model to walk in more human-like manner, it also inherits the short comings of the SLIP model. The SLIP can walk or run like a human, but only at a fixed velocity. It cannot initiate or terminate gait. Fall preventing movements, such as gait termination and compensatory stepping, are of particular relevance to kinesiologists and health care professionals. Kinesiologists have known for nearly a decade that humans restore their balance primarily by systematically altering their foot placement location. This thesis presents a human experimental validation of a planar foot placement algorithm that was originally designed to restore the balance of bipedal robots. A three-dimensional (3D) theoretical extension to the planar foot placement algorithm is also presented along with preliminary human experimental results. These models of foot placement can be used in the future to improve the capabilities of gait simulations by giving simple models human-like compensatory stepping abilities. The theoretical extension also provides some insight into how instability and balance performance can be quantified. The instability and balance performance measures have important applications for diagnosing and rehabilitating balance problems. Despite all of the progress that has been made, there is still much work to be done. Work needs to be continued to find methods that allow the anthropomorphic model to emulate the SLIP model more faithfully. Experimental work needs to be completed to realize the potential diagnostic and rehabilitation applications of the foot placement models. With continued effort, a predictive, balanced, multi-step gait simulation can be developed that will give researchers the time-saving capability of computerized hypothesis testing, and medical professionals improved diagnostic and rehabilitation methods

Center for space microelectronics technology

The 1992 Technical Report of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Space Microelectronics Technology summarizes the technical accomplishments, publications, presentations, and patents of the center during the past year. The report lists 187 publications, 253 presentations, and 111 new technology reports and patents in the areas of solid-state devices, photonics, advanced computing, and custom microcircuits

A parallel algorithm for deformable contact problems

In the field of nonlinear computational solid mechanics, contact problems deal with the deformation of separate bodies which interact when they come in touch. Usually, these problems are formulated as constrained minimization problems which may be solved using optimization techniques such as penalty method, Lagrange multipliers, Augmented Lagrangian method, etc. This classical approach is based on node connectivities between the contacting bodies. These connectivities are created through the construction of contact elements introduced for the discretization of the contact interface, which incorporate the contact constraints in the global weak form. These methods are well known and widely used in the resolution of contact problems in engineering and science. As parallel computing platforms are nowadays widely available, solving large engineering problems on high performance computers is a real possibility for any engineer or researcher. Due to the memory and compute power that contact problems require and consume, they are good candidates for parallel computation. Industrial and scientific realistic contact problems involve different physical domains and a large number of degrees of freedom, so algorithms designed to run efficiently in high performance computers are needed. Nevertheless, the parallelization of the numerical solution methods that arises from the classical optimization techniques and discretization approaches presents some drawbacks which must be considered. Mainly, for general contact cases where sliding occurs, the introduction of contact elements requires the update of the mesh graph in a fixed number of time steps. From the point of view of the domain decomposition method for parallel resolution of numerical problems this is a major drawback due to its computational expensiveness, since dynamic repartitioning must be done to redistribute the updated mesh graph to the different processors. On the other hand, some of the optimization techniques modify dynamically the number of degrees of freedom in the problem, by introducing Lagrange multipliers as unknowns. In this work we introduce a Dirichlet-Neumann type parallel algorithm for the numerical solution of nonlinear frictional contact problems, putting a strong focus on its computational implementation. Among its main characteristics it can be highlighted that there is no need to update the mesh graph during the simulation, as no contact elements are used. Also, no additional degrees of freedom are introduced into the system, since no Lagrange multipliers are required. In this algorithm the bodies in contact are treated separately, in a segregated way. The coupling between the contacting bodies is performed through boundary conditions transfer at the contact zone. From a computational point of view, this feature allows to use a multi-code approach. Furthermore, the algorithm can be interpreted as a black-box method as it solves each body separately even with different computational codes. In addition, the contact algorithm proposed in this thesis can also be formulated as a general fixed-point solver for the solution of interface problems. This generalization gives us the theoretical basis to extrapolate and implement numerical techniques that were already developed and widely tested in the field of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems, especially those related to convergence ensurance and acceleration. We describe the parallel implementation of the proposed algorithm and analyze its parallel behaviour and performance in both validation and realistic test cases executed in HPC machines using several processors.En el ámbito de la mecánica de contacto computacional, los problemas de contacto tratan con la deformación que sufren cuerpos separados cuando interactúan entre ellos. Comunmente, estos problemas son formulados como problemas de minimización con restricciones, que pueden ser resueltos utilizando técnicas de optimización como la penalización, los multiplicadores de Lagrange, el Lagrangiano Aumentado, etc. Este enfoque clásico está basado en la conectividad de nodos entre los cuerpos, que se realiza a través de la construcción de los elementos de contacto que surgen de la discretización de la interfaz. Estos elementos incorporan las restricciones de contacto en forma débil. Debido al consumo de memoria y a los requerimientos de potencia de cálculo que los problemas de contacto requieren, resultan ser muy buenos candidatos para su paralelización computacional. Sin embargo, tanto la paralelización de los métodos numéricos que surgen de las técnicas clásicas de optimización como los distintos enfoques para su discretización, presentan algunas desventajas que deben ser consideradas. Por un lado, el principal problema aparece ya que en los casos más generales de la mecánica de contacto ocurre un deslizamiento entre cuerpos. Por este motivo, la introducción de los elementos de contacto vuelve necesaria una actualización del grafo de la malla cada cierto número de pasos de tiempo. Desde el punto de vista del método de descomposición de dominios utilizado en la resolución paralela de problemas numéricos, esto es una gran desventaja debidoa su coste computacional. En estos casos, un reparticionamiento dinámico debe ser realizado para redistribuir el grafo actualizado de la malla entre los diferentes procesadores. Por otro lado, algunas técnicas de optimización modifican dinámicamente el número de grados de libertad del problema al introducir multiplicadores de Lagrange como incógnitas. En este trabajo presentamos un algoritmo paralelo del tipo Dirichlet-Neumann para la resolución numérica de problemas de contacto no lineales con fricción, poniendo un especial énfasis en su implementación computacional. Entre sus principales características se puede destacar que no hay necesidad de actualizar el grafo de la malla durante la simulación, ya que en este algoritmo no se utilizan elementos de contacto. Adicionalmente, ningún grado de libertad extra es introducido al sistema, ya que los multiplicadores de Lagrange no son requeridos. En este algoritmo los cuerpos en contacto son tratados de forma separada, de una manera segregada. El acople entre estos cuerpos es realizado a través del intercambio de condiciones de contorno en la interfaz de contacto. Desde un punto de vista computacional, esta característica permite el uso de un enfoque multi-código. Además, este algoritmo puede ser interpretado como un método del tipo black-box ya que permite resolver cada cuerpo por separado, aún utilizando distintos códigos computacionales. Adicionalmente, el algoritmo de contacto propuesto en esta tesis puede ser formulado como un esquema de resolución de punto fijo, empleado de forma general en la solución de problemas de interfaz. Esta generalización permite extrapolar técnicas numéricas ya utilizadas en los problemas de interacción fluido-estructura e implementarlas en la mecánica de contacto, en especial aquellas relacionadas con el aseguramiento y aceleración de la convergencia. En este trabajo describimos la implementación paralela del algoritmo propuesto y analizamos su comportamiento y performance paralela tanto en casos de validación como reales, ejecutados en computadores de alta performance utilizando varios procesadores.Postprint (published version

NASA Tech Briefs, December 2011

Topics covered include: 1) SNE Industrial Fieldbus Interface; 2) Composite Thermal Switch; 3) XMOS XC-2 Development Board for Mechanical Control and Data Collection; 4) Receiver Gain Modulation Circuit; 5) NEXUS Scalable and Distributed Next-Generation Avionics Bus for Space Missions; 6) Digital Interface Board to Control Phase and Amplitude of Four Channels; 7) CoNNeCT Baseband Processor Module; 8) Cryogenic 160-GHz MMIC Heterodyne Receiver Module; 9) Ka-Band, Multi-Gigabit-Per-Second Transceiver; 10) All-Solid-State 2.45-to-2.78-THz Source; 11) Onboard Interferometric SAR Processor for the Ka-Band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn); 12) Space Environments Testbed; 13) High-Performance 3D Articulated Robot Display; 14) Athena; 15) In Situ Surface Characterization; 16) Ndarts; 17) Cryo-Etched Black Silicon for Use as Optical Black; 18) Advanced CO2 Removal and Reduction System; 19) Correcting Thermal Deformations in an Active Composite Reflector; 20) Umbilical Deployment Device; 21) Space Mirror Alignment System; 22) Thermionic Power Cell To Harness Heat Energies for Geothermal Applications; 23) Graph Theory Roots of Spatial Operators for Kinematics and Dynamics; 24) Spacesuit Soft Upper Torso Sizing Systems; 25) Radiation Protection Using Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Derivatives; 26) PMA-PhyloChip DNA Microarray to Elucidate Viable Microbial Community Structure; 27) Lidar Luminance Quantizer; 28) Distributed Capacitive Sensor for Sample Mass Measurement; 29) Base Flow Model Validation; 30) Minimum Landing Error Powered-Descent Guidance for Planetary Missions; 31) Framework for Integrating Science Data Processing Algorithms Into Process Control Systems; 32) Time Synchronization and Distribution Mechanisms for Space Networks; 33) Local Estimators for Spacecraft Formation Flying; 34) Software-Defined Radio for Space-to-Space Communications; 35) Reflective Occultation Mask for Evaluation of Occulter Designs for Planet Finding; and 36) Molecular Adsorber Coatin