Foundry: Hierarchical Material Design for Multi-Material Fabrication

We demonstrate a new approach for designing functional material definitions for multi-material fabrication using our system called Foundry. Foundry provides an interactive and visual process for hierarchically designing spatially-varying material properties (e.g., appearance, mechanical, optical). The resulting meta-materials exhibit structure at the micro and macro level and can surpass the qualities of traditional composites. The material definitions are created by composing a set of operators into an operator graph. Each operator performs a volume decomposition operation, remaps space, or constructs and assigns a material composition. The operators are implemented using a domain-specific language for multi-material fabrication; users can easily extend the library by writing their own operators. Foundry can be used to build operator graphs that describe complex, parameterized, resolution-independent, and reusable material definitions. We also describe how to stage the evaluation of the final material definition which in conjunction with progressive refinement, allows for interactive material evaluation even for complex designs. We show sophisticated and functional parts designed with our system.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1138967)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1409310)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (1547088)National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship ProgramMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Undergraduate Research Opportunities Progra

Mix&Match: Towards Omitting Modelling Through In-Situ Alteration and Remixing of Model Repository Artifacts in Mixed Reality

The accessibility of tools to model artifacts is one of the core driving factors for the adoption of Personal Fabrication. Subsequently, model repositories like Thingiverse became important tools in (novice) makers' processes. They allow them to shorten or even omit the design process, offloading a majority of the effort to other parties. However, steps like measurement of surrounding constraints (e.g., clearance) which exist only inside the users' environment, can not be similarly outsourced. We propose Mix&Match a mixed-reality-based system which allows users to browse model repositories, preview the models in-situ, and adapt them to their environment in a simple and immediate fashion. Mix&Match aims to provide users with CSG operations which can be based on both virtual and real geometry. We present interaction patterns and scenarios for Mix&Match, arguing for the combination of mixed reality and model repositories. This enables almost modelling-free personal fabrication for both novices and expert makers.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, 1 table, To appear in the Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2020 (CHI'20

Animated rendering of cardiac model simulations

Heart disease has been the leading cause of death both in the world and the United States in the past decade. Computational cardiac modeling and simulation, especially patient-specific cardiac modeling has been recognized as one of the best ways to improve diagnosis of heart disease by providing insights in individual disease characteristics that cannot be obtained by other means. However presenting the results of cardiac simulations to cardiologists in an interactive manner can considerably improve the utility of cardiac models in understanding the heart function. In this work, we have developed virtual reality and animated volume rendering techniques to render the results of cardiac simulations. We have developed a GPU accelerated algorithm that produces time varying voxelized representation of the quantities of interest in a cardiac model, which can then be interactively rendered in real time. We voxelize the different time frames of the analysis model and transfer the time-varying data to the GPU memory using a flat data structure. This technique allows us to visualize and interact with animation in real time. As a proof-of-concept, we test our method on interactively rendering the simulation results of cardiac biomechanics simulations. We also present the timing results on post-processing and rendering two different cardiac IGA at different resolutions. We achieve an interactive frame rate of over 50 fps for all test cases

Sensor-Based Activity Recognition and Performance Assessment in Climbing: A Review

In the past decades, a number of technological developments made it possible to continuously collect various types of sport activity data in an unobtrusive way. Machine learning and analytical methods have been applied to flows of sensor data to predict the conducted sport activity as well as to calculate key performance indicators. In that scenario, researchers started to be interested in leveraging pervasive information technologies for sport climbing, thus allowing, in day-to-day climbing practice, the realization of systems for automatic assessment of a climber’s performance, detection of injury risk factors, and virtual coaching. This article surveys recent research works on the recognition of climbing activities and the evaluation of climbing performance indicators, where data have been acquired with accelerometers, cameras, force sensors, and other types of sensors. We describe the main types of sensors and equipment adopted for data acquisition, the techniques used to extract relevant features from sensor data, and the methods that have been proposed to identify the activities performed by a climber and to calculate key performance indicators. We also present a classification taxonomy of climbing activities and of climbing performance indicators, with the aim to unify the existing work and facilitate the comparison of methods. Moreover, open problems that call for new approaches and solutions are here discussed. We conclude that there is considerable scope for further work, particularly in the application of recognition techniques to problems involving various climbing activities. We hope that this survey will assist in the translation of research effort into intelligent environments that climbers will benefit from

Predictive Energy Management in Connected Vehicles: Utilizing Route Information Preview for Energy Saving

This dissertation formulates algorithms that use preview information of road terrain and traffic flow for reducing energy use and emissions of modern vehicles with conventional or hybrid powertrains. Energy crisis, long term energy deficit, and more restrictive environmental protection policies require developing more efficient and cleaner vehicle powertrain systems. An alternative to making advanced technology engines or electrifying the vehicle powertrain is utilizing ambient terrain and traffic information in the energy management of vehicles, a topic which has not been emphasized in the past. Today\u27s advances in vehicular telematics and advances in GIS (Geographic Information System), GPS (Global Positioning Systems), ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems), V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) communication, and VII (Vehicle Infrastructure Integration ) create more opportunities for predicting a vehicle\u27s trip information with details such as the future road grade, the distance to the destination, speed constraints imposed by the traffic flow, which all can be utilized for better vehicle energy management. Optimal or near optimal decision-making based on this available information requires optimal control methods, whose fundamental theories were well studied in the past but are not directly applicable due to the complexity of real problems and uncertainty in the available preview information. This dissertation proposes the use of optimal control theories and tools including Pontryagin minimum principle, Dynamic Programming (DP) which is a numerical realization of Bellman\u27s principle of optimality, and Model Predictive Control (MPC) in the optimization-based control of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and conventional vehicles based on preview of future route information. The dissertation includes three parts introduced as follows: First, the energy saving benefit in HEV energy management by previewing future terrain information and applying optimal control methods is explored. The potential gain in fuel economy is evaluated, if road grade information is integrated in energy management of hybrid vehicles. Real-world road geometry information is taken into account in power management decisions by using both Dynamic Programming (DP) and a standard Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS), derived using Pontryagin minimum principle. Secondly, the contribution of different levels of preview to energy management of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) is studied. The gains to fuel economy of plug-in hybrid vehicles with availability of velocity and terrain preview and knowledge of distance to the next charging station are investigated. Access to future driving information is classified into full, partial, or no future information and energy management strategies for real-time implementation with partial future preview are proposed. ECMS as well as Dynamic Programming (DP) is systematically utilized to handle the resulting optimal control problems with different levels of preview. We also study the benefit of future traffic flow information preview in improving the fuel economy of conventional vehicles by predictive control methods. According to the time-scale of the preview information and its importance to the driver, the energy optimization problem is decomposed into different levels. In the microscopic level, a model predictive controller as well as a car following model is employed for predictive adaptive cruise control by stochastically forecasting the driving behavior of the lead car. In the macroscopic level, we propose to incorporate the estimated macroscopic future traffic flow information and optimize the cost-to-go by utilizing a two-dimension Dynamic Programming (2D-DP). The algorithm yields the optimal trip velocity as the reference velocity for the driver or a low level controller to follow. Through the study, we show that energy use and emissions can be reduced considerably by using preview route information. The methodologies discussed in this dissertation provide an alternative mean for the automotive industry to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles by relying mostly on software and information and with minimal hardware investments

Current and future graphics requirements for LaRC and proposed future graphics system

The findings of an investigation to assess the current and future graphics requirements of the LaRC researchers with respect to both hardware and software are presented. A graphics system designed to meet these requirements is proposed

Digital Twin of a greenhouse for smart farming

Este documento presenta un marco de gemelo digital dentro del dominio de la agricultura inteligente. Diseña un gemelo digital basado en el control predictivo autónomo de un invernadero. El diseño de un entorno digital para crear un sistema ciberfísico capaz de controlar los parámetros ambientales del invernadero de forma remota, y para permitir al usuario entender mejor el invernadero y su entorno. El gemelo digital presentado usa un control de modelo predictivo basado en la anticipación de las previsiones meteorológicas, y servicios para recuperar y guardar los datos de la nube.This document presents a digital twin framework in the smart farming domain. It designs a digital twin based on the autonomous predictive control of a greenhouse. The design of a digital environment to create a cyber-physical-system able to control the greenhouse ambient parameters remotely, and to allow the user to understand better the greenhouse and its environment. The digital twin presented uses model predictive control based on previewing weather forecasts, and services to retrieve and store the data in the cloud.Aquest document presenta un marc de bessó digital dins del domini de l’agricultura intel·ligent. Dissenya un bessó digital basat en el control predictiu autònom d’un hivernacle. El disseny d’un entorn digital per crear un sistema ciberfísic capaç de controlar els paràmetres ambientals de l’hivernacle de forma remota i, per permetre a l’usuari entendre millor l’hivernacle i el seu entorn. El bessó digital presentat usa un control de model predictiu basat en l’anticipació de les previsions meteorològiques, i serveis per recuperar i guardar les dades del núvol.Outgoin

Cambrian-Eocene pre-rift, pulsed rift, passive margin and emplacement processes along the northern margin of the Southern Neotethys: evidence from the Antalya Complex in the Alanya Window (S Turkey)

Sedimentary rocks in the Alanya Window document pulsed Permian-Triassic rifting in a proximal basin setting, adjacent to the Tauride continental unit (Geyik Dağ). Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician clastic sediments accumulated along the north margin of Gondwana on a variable shallow-marine shelf. Above an unconformity related to rift-shoulder uplift, Late Permian facies document shallow-marine to evaporitic environments during regional tectonic subsidence (first main rift pulse). Above a second unconformity (both extension and sea-level controlled), Early Triassic carbonates and mudrocks accumulated on an unstable, gently subsiding shelf. Mudrocks, sandstones and lithoclastic debris-flows, derived from the underlying succession, accumulated during the Middle Triassic (Anisian-early Ladinian), implying strong tectonic subsidence and flank uplift (second main rift pulse). Radiolarian mudstones accumulated during late Middle Triassic-early Late Triassic in a well-oxidised, organically productive, but relatively quiescent, deep-water basin above the carbonate compensation depth (CCD). Thick (100s m) lithoclastic sandstone turbidites (commonly plant-rich) and localised debris-flows accumulated during the Late Triassic (Carnian), together with detached blocks of underlying lithologies (third main rift pulse, with regional uplift). Alkaline basaltic sills were intruded locally. Final continental break-up to create the Southern Neotethys took place regionally during the Late Triassic (Carnian). Latest Triassic-Late Cretaceous deposition records passive margin subsidence. Variable low-grade metamorphism and two-stage tectonic emplacement (southwards(?) then northwards) took place during latest Cretaceous and Eocene, respectively. The tectonic-sedimentary development of the Antalya Complex provides insights into rift/continental break-up processes that differ from the recently well-documented Alpine-North Atlantic region.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe