Transnational lifelong education course in robotic systems

Robotics constitutes a multidisciplinary area, congregating knowledge from different scientific domains. The learning of robotic systems requires the acquisition of multidisciplinary scientific bases, and high integration and synthesis abilities, which is not an easy task. This paper describes the implementation of a lifelong course that aims to provide a global insight on robotics field, introducing the concepts and technologies for different domain applications, namely industrial robotics, autonomous mobile robotics and robotics applied in medicine. This is accomplished in an international framework where individual knowledge and experiences will be confronted in a multidisciplinary level and intercultural environment.The work described in this paper was financially supported by the Lifelong Learning Programme Erasmus, under the projects n. 2012-1-PT1-ERA10-12529 and 2013-1-PT1- ERA10-16656.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

"This is not 13th Grade": Making the Transition to College through Coding

The Summer Coding Academy 2017 at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) was designed for the first-year freshman and transfer students with a declared Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) major. The camp participants were from diverse STEM fields that included engineering, biochemistry, nuclear medicine science, biology, computer information systems, meteorology, and 3-D animation & game design. The objectives of the camp were (1) to improve the student’s preparation for a rigorous STEM degree, (2) to increase their skills in communication and data analytics through coding and robotics. This paper describes the teaching materials that we utilized, the results of students evaluations, lessons learned and the future work.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Soft Robotics in Medicine

Robots are seeing increasing integration into the medical field, but they are often limited by their size, lack of flexibility, and other intrinsic impediments. However, an area of recent interest, soft robotics, has the potential to overcome these limitations, as soft robots are inherently flexible and compliant. These traits allow them to effectively navigate tight spaces and complex geometry, such as the interior of the human body. Additionally, the lack of distinction between structural members and actuators displayed by soft robots allows for a great deal of customization in their structure and function, with their so-termed soft actuators having a wide variety in composition and mode of activation. As such, it is conceivable that these soft robots, given enough time and research, will be able to solve many issues facing the medical field, such as targeted or sustained drug release, and improve many areas of medicine, through applications such as minimally invasive surgeryundergraduat

Study of optical techniques for the Ames unitary wind tunnels. Part 4: Model deformation

A survey of systems capable of model deformation measurements was conducted. The survey included stereo-cameras, scanners, and digitizers. Moire, holographic, and heterodyne interferometry techniques were also looked at. Stereo-cameras with passive or active targets are currently being deployed for model deformation measurements at NASA Ames and LaRC, Boeing, and ONERA. Scanners and digitizers are widely used in robotics, motion analysis, medicine, etc., and some of the scanner and digitizers can meet the model deformation requirements. Commercial stereo-cameras, scanners, and digitizers are being improved in accuracy, reliability, and ease of operation. A number of new systems are coming onto the market

The First International Conference for Smart Systems and Robotics in Space and Medicine

A viewgraph presentation describing smart systems and robotics in space and medicine is shown. The topics include: 1) NASA Applications; and 2) Laboratory Data

The aerocrew mission : training space Session at Ny Aalesund Arctic base

The Aerocrew mission has been realized in December 2007, in the frame of the International Polar Year, and in cooperation with the Polar Institut Paul-Émile Victor. The team has realized an original5 days training experience at Ny-Aalesund Arctic Base (79°N) the. The 11 crew members constituted a space crew, including physicians, aerospace crew trainers and engineers, and were implied in a seminar with 4 sessions, dealing with the training capabilities of Arctic Bases. The goal was on one hand to show that this kind of base constitutes a pertinent and affordable facility for space and aerospace teams, and on the other hand that the specific aerospace crew training techniques, could be fruitful for the scientists in artcic bases (glaciologists, geologists, specialists of the atmosphere). The 4 sessions, given by professionals of aerospace, robotics and medicine, covered the training methods for crews, robotics for outdoor and indoor activities, engineering of embedded systems, and the internal arrangement of crafts. The experience has shown the efficiency of a transverse visiting multidisciplinary team for training, and possible synergies with the resident scientists. In addition, the sessions were enriched by demonstrations such as mini-robot for observation, micro-helicopter for special sites, and also the comparison between EVA Russian glove and Polar Suits. After this mission, it was possible to conclude that this kind of cooperation could certainly open perspectives with crossed benefits either for space training and arctic research

Robots in our lives

We‘ve entered a new era: the twenty-first century. It‘s not hard to imagine the future in which robots are an integral part of our daily lives. The field of robotics is complex. It‘s more than computer science and engineering. Disciplines ranging from medicine to philosophy are part of its foundation

Synthesis about a collaborative project on “Technology Assessment of Autonomous Systems”

The project started in 2009 with the support of DAAD in Germany and CRUP in Portugal under the “Collaborative German-Portuguese University Actions” programme. One central goal is the further development of a theory of technology assessment applied to robotics and autonomous systems in general that reflects in its methodology the changing conditions of knowledge production in modern societies and the emergence of new robotic technologies and of associated disruptive changes. Relevant topics here are handling broadened future horizons and new clusters of science and technology (medicine, engineering, interfaces, industrial automation, micro-devices, security and safety), as well as new governance structures in policy decision making concerning research and development (R&D).Robotic systems, Autonomous systems, Technology assessment, Germany, Portugal