The Politics of User-Driven Innovation: On innovative users, do-able needs, and frugal robots

Users play an increasingly important role in European innovation policy. They are commonly seen as drivers of and active co-creators within innovation processes. However, user-driven innovation remains infused with a number of assumptions about users, technology, and “successful” innovation, which (partly) undermine a more democratic, open approach to innovation. In this contribution, I investigate the interplay between broader policy assumptions in the European discourse on user-driven innovation and its practical performance within an innovation project centring on healthcare robotics. Here, I argue that the politics of user-driven innovation harbours particular assumptions that, in effect, restrict the agency of users while also engendering conflict and contradictory outcomes. Hence, user-driven innovation is not simply about users driving innovation but rather about interfacing users and their concerns with (robotics) developers and their technology. For this, I propose an analytics of interfacing, which draws together literatures on the performative dynamics of participatory processes and more recent work on the political economy of participation. Here, I contend that it is not enough to investigate the construction and performance of publics; rather, it is additionally necessary to follow the manifold practices by which those publics are rendered available for certain technological solutions – and vice versa. Such an analytical approach opens up a fruitful avenue to critically enquire into the politics of participation – sitting in between innovation policy and practice

The RoCKIn Project

The goal of the project “Robot Competitions Kick Innovation in Cognitive Systems and Robotics” (RoCKIn), funded by the European Commission under its 7th Framework Program, has been to speed up the progress toward smarter robots through scientific competitions. Two challenges have been selected for the competitions due to their high relevance and impact on Europe’s societal and industrial needs: domestic service robots (RoCKIn@Home) and innovative robot applications in industry (RoCKIn@Work). The RoCKIn project has taken an approach to boosting scientific robot competitions in Europe by (i) specifying and designing open domain test beds for competitions targeting the two challenges; (ii) developing methods for scoring and benchmarking that allow to assess both particular subsystems as well as the integrated system; and (iii) organizing camps to build up a community of new teams, interested to participate in robot competitions. A significant number of dissemination activities on the relevance of robot competitions were carried out to promote research and education in robotics, as to researchers and lay citizens. The lessons learned during RoCKIn paved the way for a step forward in the organization and research impact of robot competitions, contributing for Europe to become a world leader in robotics research, education, and technology transfer

Impact of Temporal Macropore Dynamics on Infiltration : Field Experiments and Model Simulations

Macropores greatly affect water and solute transport in soils. Most macropores are of biogenic origin; however, the resulting seasonal dynamics are often neglected. Our study aimed to examine temporal changes in biopore networks and the resulting infiltration patterns. We performed infiltration experiments with Brilliant Blue on pastureland in the Luxembourgian Attert catchment (spring, summer, and autumn 2015). We developed an image-processing scheme to identify and quantify changes in biopores and infiltration patterns. Subsequently, we used image-derived biopore metrics to parameterize the ecohydrological model echoRD (ecohydrological particle model based on representative domains), which includes explicit macropore flow and interaction with the soil matrix. We used the model simulations to check whether biopore dynamics affect infiltration. The observed infiltration patterns revealed variations in both biopore numbers and biopore–matrix interaction. The field-observed biopore numbers varied over time, mainly in the topsoil, with the largest biopore numbers in spring and the smallest in summer. The number of hydrologically effective biopores in the topsoil seems to determine the number and thereby the fraction of effective biopores in the subsoil. In summer, a strong biopore–matrix interaction was observed. In spring, the dominant process was rapid drainage, whereas in summer and autumn, most of the irrigated water was stored in the examined profiles. The model successfully simulated infiltration patterns for spring, summer, and autumn using temporally different macropore setups. Using a static macropore parameterization the model output deviated from the observed infiltration patterns, which emphasizes the need to consider macropores and their temporal dynamics in soil hydrological modeling

Multimodal adaptive interfaces for 3D robot-mediated upper limb neuro-rehabilitation: An overview of bio-cooperative systems

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Revolutionizing Interstellar Travel: Investigating Hydrogen and Oxygen Plasma as Cutting-Edge Rocket Propellants for Highly Efficient Thrusters

This research paper delves into the exploration of hydrogen and oxygen in a plasma state as potential fuels for rocket propulsion, aiming to enhance the efficiency and power of space travel thrusters. The study investigates the characteristics of plasma fuel, its combustion properties, and the feasibility of its implementation for interstellar travel

On Robots and Insurance

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A Short Review on Machine Learning in Space Science and Exploration

Machine learning is revolutionizing space exploration by tackling massive datasets, empowering astronauts, and driving scientific breakthroughs. From Deep Space 1's autonomous navigation to the James Webb Space Telescope's AI-assisted exoplanet discovery, Machine learning is transforming the present and shaping the future. With missions like NASA's Parker Solar Probe and the development of AI-powered monitoring systems and astro robots, the possibilities for unravelling the cosmos and democratizing space exploration are limitless. The future of space exploration lies in harnessing the power of ML to unlock the universe's secrets and make them accessible to all

Futuristic Exploring of Ionic Wind Technology and Wind-Assisted Propulsion in a Comprehensive Journey

This research investigate into the convergence of ionic wind technology and wind-assisted propulsion, presenting a combined approach to enhance propulsion systems in diverse applications. Ionic wind, characterized by electro aerodynamic propulsion, involves the generation of ions through electrostatic fields to induce controlled airflow. Concurrently, wind-assisted propulsion leverages natural wind currents to amplify the thrust of vehicles or devices. Through a systematic investigation, this study aims to unravel the potential benefits, address the associated challenges, and illuminate the synergies emerging from the seamless integration of these innovative propulsion technologies

Pigs: A stepwise RGB-D novel pig carcass cutting dataset

This paper presents a pig carcass cutting dataset, captured from a bespoke frame structure with 6 Intel® RealSense™ Depth Camera D415 cameras attached, and later recorded from a single camera attached to a robotic arm cycling through the positions previously defined by the frame structure. The data is composed of bags files recorded from the Intel’s SDK, which includes RGB-D data and camera intrinsic parameters for each sensor. In addition, ten JSON files with the transformation matrix for each camera in relation to the left/front camera in the structure are provided, five JSON files for the data recorded with the bespoke frame and five JSON files for the data captured with the robotic arm.acceptedVersio

Linking structure and functioning of hydrological systems - How to achieve necessary experimental and model complexity with adequate effort

This thesis quests after minimum adequacy of model complexity, geophysical exploration and functional unit identification through examples from the Attert experimental basin. With emphasis on a joined examination of theoretical concepts, experimental methodology and modelling approaches the study addresses landscape and process analysis, targeted experiments at the plot- and hillslope-scale and the development of a novel Lagrangian model framework for diffusive and advective soil water dynamics