A low cost way for assessing bird risk hazards in power lines: Fixed-wing small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Accidents on power lines are one of the most important causes of man-induced mortality for raptors and soaring birds. The factors that condition the hazard have been extensively studied, and currently there are a variety of technical solutions available to miti- gate the risk. Most of the resources in conservation projects to reduce avian mortality now are invested in fieldwork to monitor the lines, which diverts the resources available to install actual corrective measures to mitigate bird hazard. Little progress has been achieved in the methodology to characterize line risk, which is an expensive, tedious, and time- consuming task. In this work we describe the use of low cost small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) equipped with on-board cameras for power line surveillance. As a case study, we characterized four power lines, geo-referenced every pylon in selected portions, and assessed their hazard for birds. We compare the effectiveness of two variants of the sUAS method for data acquisition and two methods of plane control. This work provides evidence of the usefulness of sUAS as a fast, inexpensive, and practical tool in conservation biology, adding to their already known applications in wildlife monitoring, the environmental impact assessment of infrastructures

A Vision Based Top-View Transformation Model for a Vehicle Parking Assistant

This paper proposes the Top-View Transformation Model for image coordinate transformation, which involves transforming a perspective projection image into its corresponding bird's eye vision. A fitting parameters searching algorithm estimates the parameters that are used to transform the coordinates from the source image. Using this approach, it is not necessary to provide any interior and exterior orientation parameters of the camera. The designed car parking assistant system can be installed at the rear end of the car, providing the driver with a clearer image of the area behind the car. The processing time can be reduced by storing and using the transformation matrix estimated from the first image frame for a sequence of video images. The transformation matrix can be stored as the Matrix Mapping Table, and loaded into the embedded platform to perform the transformation. Experimental results show that the proposed approaches can provide a clearer and more accurate bird's eye view to the vehicle driver

Automotive top-view image generation using orthogonally diverging fisheye cameras

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems in vehicles can be a great assistance to drivers by providing them a quick and easy way to visualize their entire 360-degree surroundings. We introduce a new camera set-up for a surround-view imaging system that may be part of an ADAS. This set-up involves four wide-angle fisheye cameras with orthogonally diverging camera axes, which allows for capturing the entire 360 degrees around a vehicle in four images, captured from the lateral, front, and rear views. Simple perspective transforms can be used to convert these images into a synthesized top-view image, which displays the scene as viewed from above the vehicle. These transforms, however, are typically derived using a basic calibration procedure that is only capable of correctly mapping ground-plane points in captured images to their corresponding locations in the top-view image, and subsequently, all off-the-ground points look distorted. We present a new method for calibrating a top-view image, in which objects and off-the-ground points are accurately represented. We also present a method for using specifically designed disparity search bands to segment the scene in the overlapping field-of-view (FOV) regions between adjacent cameras, each pair of which is effectively a stereo imaging system. Such wide-baseline stereo systems with orthogonally diverging camera axes make stereo matching difficult, and traditional correspondence algorithms cannot reliably generate the dense disparity maps that might be computed in a parallel stereo set-up involving cameras that follow a rectilinear model. We segment the scene into the ground plane, objects of interest, and the background, and show that our new virtual camera calibration parameters can be applied to represent objects in the scene in a more realistic manner.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

Human Respiration Localization Method Using UWB Linear Antenna Array

Human respiration is the basic vital sign in remote monitoring. There has been remarkable progress in this area, but some challenges still remain to obtain the angle-of-arrival (AOA) and distinguish the individual signals. This paper presents a 2D noncontact human respiration localization method using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) 1D linear antenna array. The imaging reconstruction based on beamforming is used to estimate the AOA of the human chest. The distance-slow time 2D matrix at the estimated AOA is processed to obtain the distance and respiration frequency of the vital sign. The proposed method can be used to isolate signals from individual targets when more than one human object is located in the surveillance space. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated via the simulation and experiment results

Camera systems in industrial robotics

Bakalářská práce pojednává o robotickém vidění. Na úvod je vyhotovena rešerše strojového a robotického vidění, jejich výhod a omezení a příkladů aplikace. Dále je popsáno pracoviště s průmyslovým robotem a kamerou, úloha, kterou bude robot vykonávat a následné řešení s okomentovaným programem. Závěrem práce je zhodnocení přínosu automatizovaného procesu a rozvedení dalších možností využití.Bachelor thesis topic deals with an application of a robotic vision. Search of its advantages, limitations and examples has been made in the introduction. Laboratory workplace with a robot and a camera is described in the second chapter together with the prepared task. Annotated program is located in the third chapter and the final part is dedicated to valorization of benefits and the next potential applications

El entrenamiento de súper velocidad para la mejora de la velocidad máxima de desplazamiento mediante sistemas de arrastre

[spa] Introducción. El entrenamiento de la velocidad máxima de desplazamiento (VMD) tiene una gran influencia en el rendimiento de muchas especialidades deportivas. La súper velocidad (SV) o velocidad asistida destaca por su especificidad como método de entrenamiento, aunque también por la escasez de evidencia científica que la sustente. Las condiciones de SV pueden generarse por diferentes vías y metodologías, que distan mucho de estar estandarizadas. En este contexto, los dispositivos motorizados de arrastre ofrecen unas características que pueden permitir mejorar esta situación. Objetivos. 1) determinar el estado de la cuestión sobre los efectos agudos de las condiciones de SV mediante sistemas de arrastre; 2) analizar los efectos agudos de diferentes cargas de SV mediante un dispositivo de arrastre motorizado; 3) establecer una propuesta de estandarización de las cargas de SV a partir del porcentaje de peso corporal; 4) analizar los efectos de un programa de entrenamiento de SV en jóvenes atletas dentro de una aproximación ecológica al entrenamiento. Metodología. Para el primer objetivo se realizó una revisión sistemática con metaanálisis siguiendo la metodología PRISMA. Para el segundo objetivo, se realizó un análisis de los efectos agudos de tres cargas de SV en atletas jóvenes, mediante el uso de un dispositivo motorizado de arrastre. Para el tercer objetivo, se establecieron unas teóricas cargas óptimas de entrenamiento derivadas de los efectos individuales y estandarizadas en porcentajes relativos al peso corporal de los atletas. Para el cuarto objetivo, se realizó una intervención de SV en atletas jóvenes analizando los efectos post entrenamiento sobre la VMD. Resultados. Los resultados de la revisión sistemática con metaanálisis muestran que los incrementos agudos en la VMD (d: 1,54; 95% IC: 0,94 – 2,14; p < 0,001) son principalmente debidos a un incremento de la longitud de paso (d: 0,92; 95% IC: 0,57 – 1,28; p < 0,001) y el tiempo de vuelo (d: 0,28; 95% IC: 0,09 – 0,48; p = 0,004) y una disminución del tiempo de contacto (d: -0,57; 95% IC: -0,77 – -0,37; p < 0,001), no siendo capaces de determinar el origen de dichos cambios. Los resultados agudos de diferentes cargas de SV, sobre diferentes variables, nos muestran que las teóricas cargas óptimas, en los sujetos estudiados, están entre el 3,47 ± 0,68% y el 6,94 ± 1,35% del peso corporal y producen velocidades del 102,91 ± 2.91% y del 104,88 ± 3,01% de la VMD respectivamente. La intervención de SV nos muestra incrementos no significativos (p < 0,05) de la VMD, a nivel global en la muestra, pero con un tamaño del efecto grande (d: 0,89; 95%IC: -0,10 – 1,82), apreciándose diferencias individuales entre los sujetos estudiados. Conclusiones. Los sistemas de arrastre incrementan de manera aguda la VMD de los atletas, pero quedan aún por determinar los mecanismos responsables a nivel mecánico, fisiológico y molecular. Es necesario determinar la carga de entrenamiento que produzca aumentos de la VMD de manera individual y que afecte lo menos posible el patrón natural de carrera de velocidad. Por este motivo, sería necesario estandarizar el control y la expresión de estas cargas de entrenamiento, proponiendo hacerlo a partir del porcentaje sobre el peso corporal. No obstante, es un ámbito de estudio con mucho desarrollo metodológico por delante y hoy en día no se puede argumentar que su utilización sea necesaria y beneficiosa para todos los deportistas para el incremento de su VMD. Para ello es necesario aumentar la cantidad de estudios realizados y estandarizar los resultados, haciendo hincapié en las variables mecánicas, fisiológicas y moleculares asociadas a los mecanismos responsables de los posibles cambios.[eng] Introduction. Maximum running speed (MRS) has a significant impact on sports performance. Overspeed ( training methods out for its specificity. However, there is a scarcity of scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. Motorized devices can potentially improve this situation . 1) to determine the current situation of the acute effects of OS conditions using towing systems; 2) to analyze the acute effects of different OS loads using a motorized towing system; 3) to propose a standardization method fo r OS loads based on the percentage of body weight; 4) to analyze the effects of an OS training program on MRS in young athletes within an ecological approach to training. Methodology. The first objective was addressed through a systematic review with meta analysis following the PRISMA methodology. The second objective involved analyzing the acute effects of three different OS loads on young athletes using a motorized towing system. The third objective focused on establishing theoretical optimal training loa ds based on individual effects and standardizing them as a percentage relative to the athletes' body weight. Finally, the fourth objective entailed implementing an OS intervention in young athletes and analyzing the post training effects. Results. The systematic review with meta analysis revealed that acute increases in MRS (d: 1.54; 95% CI: 0.94 2.14; p < 0.001) were primarily attributed to an increase in step length (d: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.57 1.28; p < 0.001) and flight time (d: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.0 9 0.48; p = 0.004), as well as a decrease in contact time (d: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.77 0.37; p < 0.001). However, the mechanisms underlying these changes could not be determined. The analysis of different OS loads demonstrated that the theoretical optimal loads, r elative to body weight, ranged from 3.47 ± 0.68% to 6.94 ± 1.35%, resulting in speeds of 102.91 ± 2.91% and 104.88 ± 3.01% of MRS, respectively. The OS intervention led to non significant increases (p < 0.05) in MRS across the sample, although with a large effect size (d: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.10 1.82)1.82). Conclusions. Towing systems have been shown to acutely increase MRS. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these improvements remain to be determined. It is essential to identify the training load that produces individual increases in MRS while minimizing interference with the natural sprinting pattern. Therefore, it is recommended to standardize the training loads based on the percentage of body weight. However, this field of study requires further methodological development, and it is not yet possible to argue that OS training is beneficial for all athletes to increase their MRS

Combined Nutrition and Exercise Interventions in Community Groups

Diet and physical activity are two key modifiable lifestyle factors that influence health across the lifespan (prevention and management of chronic diseases and reduction of the risk of premature death through several biological mechanisms). Community-based interventions contribute to public health, as they have the potential to reach high population-level impact, through the focus on groups that share a common culture or identity in their natural living environment. While the health benefits of a balanced diet and regular physical activity are commonly studied separately, interventions that combine these two lifestyle factors have the potential to induce greater benefits in community groups rather than strategies focusing only on one or the other. Thus, this Special Issue entitled “Combined Nutrition and Exercise Interventions in Community Groups” is comprised of manuscripts that highlight this combined approach (balanced diet and regular physical activity) in community settings. The contributors to this Special Issue are well-recognized professionals in complementary fields such as education, public health, nutrition, and exercise. This Special Issue highlights the latest research regarding combined nutrition and exercise interventions among different community groups and includes research articles developed through five continents (Africa, Asia, America, Europe and Oceania), as well as reviews and systematic reviews