I’m curious, I’m open to it, I test it, I trust it! A focus groups study to understand a-priori trust in automated buses

Trust is regarded as one of the main predictors for adopting automated buses (ABs). However, theories about trust (development) in technology generally vary and an in-depths study about trust in ABs specifically is still outstanding. The present study fills this gap by presenting results from focus group interviews to trust (development) in shared automated buses prior to exposure. The objectives of this study are to contrast participants’ naïve concepts of trust with theory and to identify underlying factors influencing a-priori trust in ABs. Results show that the N = 21 focus group participants use different strategies to familiarise themselves with the new technology of ABs, e.g., comparisons with familiar technologies, fundamental tendencies to approach or avoid, additional information seeking, or anthropomorphisation. These strategies largely support existing theories on trust (development) in technology. Differences between naïve interpretations of trust and its theoretical assumptions were found in focus group debates where more control over technology limited uncertainty and led to more trust. While theories suggest control and trust to be incompatible opposites, participants see control as a way to enhance trust. We provide starting points for further theory development and expansion and stress the importance of explanations in emerging technologies for trust and acceptance building

The uptake of BIPV within a project environment: the practicalities of integrating solar technologies into the building projects

Whilst the technical challenges of incorporating new technologies into buildings are continually discussed, the managerial challenges are less well understood. The issue is acute as many of these complex technologies such as advanced building skins (ABS) are integrated with the building structure, rather than being bolt-on additions. Building integrated photovoltaic technologies (BIPV) are an example of ABS and pose challenges for construction professionals. Research has until now understood BIPV through idealised project management processes, but with little empirical research. Using a socio-technical approach, this research aims to understand the “real world” of construction projects and to explore how practitioners make BIPV integration a reality. This research follows three building projects where BIPV was specified, following the negotiations, decision making and institutional logics, which play out. The implications of project management demands and conventions on the integration of the technology are explored, identifying institutional obstacles to integrating BIPV into the building. Findings include changing interests and requirements shaping the technology, friction interfaces between the technology and the other building elements and conflicting priorities of project management conventions and technical details. The importance of this research is to deconstruct the practicalities of incorporating BIPV into building projects so that construction professionals, technology developers and suppliers can understand the challenges and opportunities occurring as ABS are integrated into the building envelope

Observation of anomalous decoherence effect in a quantum bath at room temperature

Decoherence of quantum objects is critical to modern quantum sciences and technologies. It is generally believed that stronger noises cause faster decoherence. Strikingly, recent theoretical research discovers the opposite case for spins in quantum baths. Here we report experimental observation of the anomalous decoherence effect for the electron spin-1 of a nitrogen-vacancy centre in high-purity diamond at room temperature. We demonstrate that under dynamical decoupling, the double-transition can have longer coherence time than the single-transition, even though the former couples to the nuclear spin bath as twice strongly as the latter does. The excellent agreement between the experimental and the theoretical results confirms the controllability of the weakly coupled nuclear spins in the bath, which is useful in quantum information processing and quantum metrology.Comment: 22 pages, related paper at http://arxiv.org/abs/1102.557

A Study of the Prediction of Ammonium Bisulfate Formation Temperature by Artificial Intelligence

Ammonium bisulfate (ABS) is an acidic deposit that can form on the metal elements of air preheaters in power boilers, leading to unit operational issues. As a byproduct of the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions control, ABS could result in unit efficiency deterioration, even unit outage. ABS formation temperature is an important factor in controlling the issues associated with ABS fouling problems. If the ABS formation temperature could be monitored, the ABS deposition location could be identified. Subsequently, preventative actions could be taken to avoid ABS fouling to develop into a serious operational problem, such as air preheater plugging. This study deals with indirect predictive models of ABS formation temperature. Five models were developed based on data mining technologies, using actual power plant data. Data composed of 14,230 samples, from 49 variables were used in the study. In the modeling, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Sensitivity Analysis (SA) were used to reduce the number of variables in the data set. K-Means Clustering (KMC) was also employed to compress training samples. Neural Networks (NN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were used for data modeling. Model results were validated with ABS formation temperatures measured with an ABS dew-point probe. A SA was performed to determine the impact of individual variables on the ABS formation process. It was found that four unit variables: SO2 stack concentration, SCR gas outlet temperature, SCR inlet NOx concentration and dilution skid ammonia flow, can provide a good representation of the data set for ABS formation temperature prediction. The most accurate predictive model consists of a sequence of KMC and SVM. This approach can predict ABS formation temperature within a 9% error from the physical measurement

Selection of Material and Manufacturing Technology for Batik Canting Stamps Based on Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods

This study aimed to develop alternative materials and technologies for making canting stamps used in producing batik canting (stamped batik) to transfer hot wax from the pan to the fabric. Previous researchers have studied materials such as wood, aluminum, multiplex, acrylic, and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Manufacturing technologies have also been analyzed, including manual manufacturing, computer numerical control (CNC) milling, laser cutting, and additive manufacturing. However, none of these materials and technologies were considered suitable alternatives for copper canting stamps. This paper proposes Conductive ABS-Electroformed By Copper (CABS-EBC) through additive manufacturing and electroforming processes as alternative material for canting stamps. A multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach was used to assess alternative materials and technologies. The alternatives and criteria were calculated using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and Preference Ranking Organization Method of Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE) techniques. Besides this, assessment was also carried out based on expert opinions. The results showed that copper was the most suitable material, with Closeness = 1.000, Yi = 0.995, and Phi = +1.00. Meanwhile, CABS-EBC ranked second, with Closeness = 0.627, Yi = 0.864, and Phi = +0.50. The selected technology was additive manufacturing combined with electroforming, with Closeness = 0.700, Yi = 0.895, and Phi = +0.39. By using MCDM on the material-technology development candidates it was found that CABS-EBC processed with additive manufacturing is capable of substituting copper as a canting stamp material. It is expected that the production capacity of the traditional manufacturing process can be enhanced by adopting these new materials and technologies

Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Deformation of Metamaterial FDM Components

At Lancaster University, research is currently investigating the use of rapid manufacturing (RM) to realise metamaterials, although key to the success of this project is the development of an understanding of how coated RM parts deform under thermal and mechanical stress. The research in this paper presents a comparison of the thermal and mechanical deformation behaviour of RM coated metamaterials components from a numerical context. The research uses the design of a simple metamaterial unit cell as a test model for both the experimental and finite element method (FEM). The investigation of deformation behaviour of sample Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) parts manufactured in different orientations and simulated using commercial FEM code means that the FEM analysis can be utilized for design verification of FDM parts. This research contributes to further research into the development of RM metamaterials, specifically design analysis and verification tools for RM materials

Modelling and Validation of an Electronic Wedge Brake System with Realistic Quarter Car Model for Anti-Lock Braking System Design

With the advancement in battery and electronics technologies, soon Electric Vehicles (EV) will replace traditional vehicles as they are more efficient and environment friendly. This will require replacement of all mechanical systems in vehicles with their electrical counterparts. This study focuses on electromechanical brakes (EMB) as replacement of hydraulics brakes. Particularly a type of EMB known as Electronic Wedge Brake (EWB) which uses wedges to create self reinforcing braking force and consume less power than other EMBs. Detailed mathematical model of an EWB system is presented which provides braking force and torque to the disk brake. A Quarter Car Model (QCM) with realistic parameter values and aerodynamic deceleration is modelled to validate the EWB system. The system is validated for different road conditions and anti-lock braking system (ABS) is demonstrated for snowy road using a single PID controller. The results validate the brake and car model and a need for cascaded control strategy to implement ABS is established