Dynamics of Oscillators Coupled by a Medium with Adaptive Impact

In this article we study the dynamics of coupled oscillators. We use mechanical metronomes that are placed over a rigid base. The base moves by a motor in a one-dimensional direction and the movements of the base follow some functions of the phases of the metronomes (in other words, it is controlled to move according to a provided function). Because of the motor and the feedback, the phases of the metronomes affect the movements of the base while on the other hand, when the base moves, it affects the phases of the metronomes in return. For a simple function for the base movement (such as $y = \gamma_{x} [r \theta_1 + (1 - r) \theta_2]$ in which $y$ is the velocity of the base, $\gamma_{x}$ is a multiplier, $r$ is a proportion and $\theta_1$ and $\theta_2$ are phases of the metronomes), we show the effects on the dynamics of the oscillators. Then we study how this function changes in time when its parameters adapt by a feedback. By numerical simulations and experimental tests, we show that the dynamic of the set of oscillators and the base tends to evolve towards a certain region. This region is close to a transition in dynamics of the oscillators; where more frequencies start to appear in the frequency spectra of the phases of the metronomes

Ontologia informazionale: una visione del mondo come livelli di sistemi informati

This is an evolving short text drafting the main ideas of the author's ontology, before producing special articles on its various aspects. It suggests that the major ontical levels that can be identified in the world -- forms, matter, life, cognition and culture -- all can be described in terms of informational systems that follow combinatorial rules. The emergence of a major level from previous ones is triggered by the appearance of a new kind of memory (genomes, neural systems, symbolic languages). Indeed, each major levels consists of a class of informed systems, which includes a memory subsystem that informs the core subsystem shaped as a model of its environment, in turn interacting with it through the pragmatic subsystems of sensors and effectors. The main classes of phenomena in the world are shortly described and discussed in such terms

Synchronization of Mechanical Oscillators: An Experimental Study

In this research we consider synchronization of oscillators. We use mechanical metronomes that are coupled through a mechanical medium. We investigate the problem for three different cases: 1) In passive coupling of two oscillators, the coupling medium is a one degree of freedom passive mechanical basis. The analysis of the system is supported by simulations of the proposed model and experimental results. 2) In another case, the oscillator is forced by an external input while the input is also affected by the oscillator. This feedback loop introduces dynamics to the whole system. For realization, we place the mechanical metronome on a one degree of freedom moving base. The movements of the base are a function of a feedback from the phase of the metronome. We study a family of functions for the reactions of the base and their impact on the behavior of the metronome. 3) We consider two metronomes located on a moving base. In this case the two metronomes oscillate and as the base is not freely moving, they are not directly coupled to each other. Now based on the feedbacks from the vision system, the base moves and hence the phases of the metronomes are affected by these movements. We study the space of possibilities for the movements of the base and consider impacts of the base movement on the synchronization of metronomes. We also show how such a system evolves in time