Development of a speech autocuer

A wearable, visually based prosthesis for the deaf based upon the proven method for removing lipreading ambiguity known as cued speech was fabricated and tested. Both software and hardware developments are described, including a microcomputer, display, and speech preprocessor

Design of the software development and verification system (SWDVS) for shuttle NASA study task 35

An overview of the Software Development and Verification System (SWDVS) for the space shuttle is presented. The design considerations, goals, assumptions, and major features of the design are examined. A scenario that shows three persons involved in flight software development using the SWDVS in response to a program change request is developed. The SWDVS is described from the standpoint of different groups of people with different responsibilities in the shuttle program to show the functional requirements that influenced the SWDVS design. The software elements of the SWDVS that satisfy the requirements of the different groups are identified

Large space structures testing

There is considerable interest in the development of testing concepts and facilities that accurately simulate the pathologies believed to exist in future spacecraft. Both the Government and Industry have participated in the development of facilites over the past several years. The progress and problems associated with the development of the Large Space Structure Test Facility at the Marshall Flight Center are presented. This facility was in existence for a number of years and its utilization has run the gamut from total in-house involvement, third party contractor testing, to the mutual participation of other Government Agencies in joint endeavors

NASA-VCOSS dynamic test facility

The Large Space Structure Ground Test Facility under development at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is described. The Ground Test Facility was established initially to test experimentally the control system to be used on the Solar Array flight Experiment. The structural dynamics of the selected test article were investigated, including the fidelity of the associated mathematical model. The facility must permit the investigation of structural dynamics phenomena and be able to evaluate candidate attitude control and vibration suppression techniques

Prepare for Citizen Science Challenges at CERN

Abstract: To inspire more people to contribute to science, and educate the public about science, two Citizen Science "challenges" were prepared during summer 2013: the CERN Summer Webfest 2013 and the Virtual LHC Challenge. The first part of this report summarizes how to organize a Webfest at CERN and the outcome of the CERN Summer Webfest 2013.The second part gives an introduction to the current state of the Virtual LHC Challenge: a development of the LHC@Home Test4Theory project planned to attract many unskilled volunteers. This work was supported by a grant from the EU Citizen Cyberlab project, with assistance from the Citizen Cyberscience Centre (CCC)

Computer program compatible with a laser nephelometer

The laser nephelometer data system was updated to provide magnetic tape recording of data, and real time or near real time processing of data to provide particle size distribution and liquid water content. Digital circuits were provided to interface the laser nephelometer to a Data General Nova 1200 minicomputer. Communications are via a teletypewriter. A dual Linc Magnetic Tape System is used for program storage and data recording. Operational programs utilize the Data General Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) and the ERT AIRMAP Real-Time Operating System (ARTS). The programs provide for acquiring data from the laser nephelometer, acquiring data from auxiliary sources, keeping time, performing real time calculations, recording data and communicating with the teletypewriter

System architectures for telerobotic research

Several activities are performed related to the definition and creation of telerobotic systems. The effort and investment required to create architectures for these complex systems can be enormous; however, the magnitude of process can be reduced if structured design techniques are applied. A number of informal methodologies supporting certain aspects of the design process are available. More recently, prototypes of integrated tools supporting all phases of system design from requirements analysis to code generation and hardware layout have begun to appear. Activities related to system architecture of telerobots are described, including current activities which are designed to provide a methodology for the comparison and quantitative analysis of alternative system architectures

What's wrong with Psychology, anyway?

This chapter considers various factors that have been responsible for the comparatively slow development of psychology into a cumulative empirical science. Special attention is devoted to correctable methodological mistakes, the over-reliance upon significance testing (and the fact that, in psychology, the null hypothesis is almost always false), and an analysis of the concept of replication

The Evaluation and Calibration of Range Instrumentation Systems at the Air Force Eastern Test Range

This paper gives a brief discussion of the status of work at the Air Force Eastern Test Range on the evaluation and calibration of range instrumentation systems whose accuracy specifications are a few parts per million. More emphasis will be placed on the STAFF project because of its current interest. The evaluation and calibration problems are distinct but they are intimately related. In the evaluation problem, one is asked to make estimates of the performance parameters of a range instrumentation system for purposes of understanding the system and its potential. This information is required to appraise system performance and to make recommendations for improving the system. In the calibration problem, one is asked to obtain information about the systematic errors that are stable in such a manner that this knowledge can be used to improve the accuracy of the system on future tests. In general, in the calibration of range instrumentation systems, it is desirable to suppress the so-called systematic or bias errors to a level below the random errors. Solutions to both the evaluation problem and the calibration problem are required for an orderly operation and development of a research and development missile and space test range, such as the Air Force Eastern Test Range. There is no accuracy standard available in the conventional sense for use in the evaluation and calibration of some instrumentation at the Air Force Eastern Test Range, since the systems under study are the most accurate systems known. This has prompted the Range to turn to statistical techniques involving regression techniques, non-linear estimation theory and time series. The ETR does not feel that the evaluation and calibration problem can be solved entirely by statistical techniques. It is necessary to tie the hardware (including special tests) intimately to the software. In general, the error model parameters studied must have physical or hardware significance, such as refraction, drift of oscillator and timing errors. Results found by statistical methods must be verified and understood in terms of the hardware performance and the physical situation. The procedure involves checking results obtained by statistical methods by special subsystem or other testing to confirm them. Once the errors are understood in terms of the hardware or in physical terms, the first approach is to improve the hardware or the understanding of nature to reduce the error to acceptable standards. Only when this cannot be done, with reasonable effort, can one be satisfied to estimate and attempt to correct the effect of the error by software techniques. Even in the case where software methods are predominant, special subsystem tests and improvement in the hardware is of fundamental importance since it may reduce the a priori variances of the error and possibly reduce the number of parameters to be estimated, thereby increasing the degrees of freedom and the power and the accuracy of the results