Rethinking Ephemeral Architecture. Advanced Geometry for Citizen-Managed Spaces

In recent years there have been a high amount of citizen initiatives that address the complex problems of the contemporary city. There are empty or disused spaces that have been reused for urban gardens, for social use, to encourage integration and civic activities activation, etc. Traditional architectural processes do not provide realistic solutions to these initiatives that, along with limited financial resources, have led to the emergence of architectures and self-constructed facilities, almost as an emergency mode, without necessary planning, media and constructive knowledge. The democratization of technology, thanks to laboratories of digital production, combined with knowledge of the properties of different surfaces through the CAD-CAM tools, offers new opportunities for the development of a lightweight, flexible and low impact architecture, very according to the needs of citizens' initiatives that naturally arise in our cities. The new existing scenario contemplates the figure of the architect, or engineer, not only as an agent of the market, but as a professional able to propose efficient solutions to problems from within, bringing their specific knowledge and serving as bridges between the new technological solutions and the challenges of society

The case for the development of novel human skills capture methodologies

As the capabilities of industrial automation are growing, so is the ability to supplement or replace the more tacit, cognitive skills of manual operators. Whilst models have been published within the human factors literature regarding automation implementation, they neglect to discuss the initial capture of the task and automation experts currently lack a formal tool to assess feasibility. The definition of what is meant by "human skill" is discussed and three crucial theoretical underpinnings are proposed for a novel, automation-specific skill capture methodology: emphasis upon procedural rules, emphasis upon action-facilitating factors and taxonomy of skill

Machine learning for crystal identification and discovery

As computers get faster, researchers -- not hardware or algorithms -- become the bottleneck in scientific discovery. Computational study of colloidal self-assembly is one area that is keenly affected: even after computers generate massive amounts of raw data, performing an exhaustive search to determine what (if any) ordered structures occur in a large parameter space of many simulations can be excruciating. We demonstrate how machine learning can be applied to discover interesting areas of parameter space in colloidal self assembly. We create numerical fingerprints -- inspired by bond orientational order diagrams -- of structures found in self-assembly studies and use these descriptors to both find interesting regions in a phase diagram and identify characteristic local environments in simulations in an automated manner for simple and complex crystal structures. Utilizing these methods allows analysis methods to keep up with the data generation ability of modern high-throughput computing environments.Comment: Fixed typo, added missing acknowledgment, added supplementary informatio

A voyage to Mars: A challenge to collaboration between man and machines

A speech addressing the design of man machine systems for exploration of space beyond Earth orbit from the human factors perspective is presented. Concerns relative to the design of automated and intelligent systems for the NASA Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) missions are largely based on experiences with integrating humans and comparable systems in aviation. The history, present status, and future prospect, of human factors in machine design are discussed in relation to a manned voyage to Mars. Three different cases for design philosophy are presented. The use of simulation is discussed. Recommendations for required research are given

Energy efficiency in discrete-manufacturing systems: insights, trends, and control strategies

Since the depletion of fossil energy sources, rising energy prices, and governmental regulation restrictions, the current manufacturing industry is shifting towards more efficient and sustainable systems. This transformation has promoted the identification of energy saving opportunities and the development of new technologies and strategies oriented to improve the energy efficiency of such systems. This paper outlines and discusses most of the research reported during the last decade regarding energy efficiency in manufacturing systems, the current technologies and strategies to improve that efficiency, identifying and remarking those related to the design of management/control strategies. Based on this fact, this paper aims to provide a review of strategies for reducing energy consumption and optimizing the use of resources within a plant into the context of discrete manufacturing. The review performed concerning the current context of manufacturing systems, control systems implemented, and their transformation towards Industry 4.0 might be useful in both the academic and industrial dimension to identify trends and critical points and suggest further research lines.Peer ReviewedPreprin

Concept of a Self-Learning Workplace Cell for Worker Assistance While Collaboration with a Robot Within the Self-Adapting-Production-Planning-System

For some time, the focus of past research on industrial workplace designs has been the optimization of processes from the technological point of view. Since human workers have to work within this environment the design process must regard Human Factor needs. The operators are under additional stress due to the range of high dynamic processes and due to the integration of robots and autonomous operating machines. There have been few studies on how Human Factors influence the design of workplaces for Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Furthermore, a comprehensive, systematic and human-centred design solution for industrial workplaces particularly considering Human Factor needs within HRC is widely uncertain and a specific application with reference to production workplaces is missing. The research findings described in this paper aim the optimization of workplaces for manual production and maintenance processes with respect to the workers within HRC. In order to increase the acceptance of integration of human-robot teams, the concept of the Assisting-Industrial-Workplace-System (AIWS) was developed. As a flexible hybrid cell for HRC integrated into a Self-Adapting-Production-Planning-System (SAPPS) assists the worker while interaction

Desenvolvimento de equipamento de manipulação de objectos deformáveis e a sua interacção com uma máquina de injecção de plásticos

In this project, our objective was to thoroughly investigate the feasibility of automating a process at Ficocables by integrating a robotic arm. Specifically, we focused on automating the joining of two separate processes while eliminating the need for manual intervention in the second operation. The equipment involved in the process includes a Roboco Zamak injection machine and a Babyplast polymer injection machine. With well-defined project requirements, we explored various solutions and sought guidance from Fluidotronica, a renowned expert in this domain. With their support, we identified the collaborative robot JAKA Zu 3s, equipped with a long-finger gripper, as the optimal solution for our needs. To assess the financial viability, we conducted a meticulous financial analysis using methods like NPV and payback period, both of which demonstrated promising results. Although the implementation of the robotic arm is still pending, the outcomes of our study highlight its remarkable versatility for future applications within Ficocables. This project exemplifies the potential advantages of automation and offers valuable insights for forthcoming initiatives in this field.Neste projeto, o objetivo era investigar exaustivamente a viabilidade de automatizar um processo na Ficocables através da integração de um braço robótico. Especificamente, concentrámo-nos em automatizar a junção de dois processos separados, eliminando a necessidade de intervenção manual na segunda operação. O equipamento envolvido no processo inclui uma máquina de injeção de Zamak, denominada Robocop e uma máquina de injeção de polímero denominada Babyplast. Com os requisitos de projeto bem definidos, explorámos várias soluções e procurámos orientação junto da Fluidotronica, um especialista de renome neste domínio. Com o seu apoio, identificámos o robô colaborativo JAKA Zu 3s, equipado com uma pinça de dedos longos como a solução ideal para as necessidades deste projeto. Para avaliar a viabilidade financeira, efetuou-se uma análise financeira meticulosa utilizando métodos como o NPV e o período de retorno do investimento, tendo ambos demonstrado resultados promissores. Embora a implementação do braço robótico ainda esteja pendente, os resultados do nosso estudo destacam a sua notável versatilidade para futuras aplicações na Ficocables. Este projeto exemplifica as vantagens potenciais da automatização e oferece uma visão valiosa para iniciativas futuras neste domínio