Applying semantic web services to enterprise web

Enterprise Web provides a convenient, extendable, integrated platform for information sharing and knowledge management. However, it still has many drawbacks due to complexity and increasing information glut, as well as the heterogeneity of the information processed. Research in the field of Semantic Web Services has shown the possibility of adding higher level of semantic functionality onto the top of current Enterprise Web, enhancing usability and usefulness of resource, enabling decision support and automation. This paper aims to explore the use of Semantic Web Services in Enterprise Web and discuss the Semantic Web Services (SWS) approach for designing Enterprise Web applications. A Semantic Web Service oriented model is presented, in which resources and services are described by ontology, and processed through Semantic Web Service, allowing integrated administration, interoperability and automated reasoning

Evolution and Competition in the Market for Handheld Computers

Since the early 1990s, electronic organisers or electronic agendas have been evolving towards fully fledged, but miniature, computers. This paper is a case study about this market. Uniquely, and reminiscent of the home computer market in the 1980s, this is a market for personal computers not dominated by Microsoft. Or at least, not yet. In tracking the evolution of this market, the paper points especially to the importance of networking and standardization. The market for handheld computers is a small market, compared to the units shipped in the market for PCs. Nevertheless a surprisingly large number of vendors has been and still is active in this market. During the short history of this market, there have been several periods where technological breakthroughs created expectations of huge growth, with entry by new suppliers as a result. As the dust settled, the losers either changed strategy, or left the market altogether. The paper will argue that standardization and networking are major factors in explaining competitive success and the recent growth of the industry.industrial organization ;

Communication between men and robots

Tato práce, která byla psána na Strojní fakultě Vysokého učení technického v Brně, Ústav automatizace a informatiky, se zabývá problémem komunikace mezi lidmi a roboty z netradičního hlediska. Snahou bylo vyhodnotit a rozdělila způsoby této komunikace, najít problémy, které se této oblasti týkají a na jejich základě analyzovat jejich možná řešení. Cílem bylo poukázat na některá reálná řešení zmíněných problémů.This work written at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Institute of Automation and Computer Science, deals with the problem of communication between men and robots from nontraditional aspects. It is tried to analyse and divide the ways of the communication, find the problems that are related to this and on their basis analyse possible solutions. It was endeavoured to show some real solutions to these mentioned problems.

Using Inclusive Design to Improve the Accessibility of Informal STEM Education, for Children with Visual Impairment

In this research paper, STEM workshops are designed to provide experiences for twenty-five blind and visually impaired children at a summer camp, with STEM activities that are engaging and fun as well as educational. The aspiration is that the participants should have equitable experiences to their peers without visual impairment, so that they may get the same enjoyment from the STEM workshops as any other participants. Another research goal is to investigate the accessibility features of various commercially available robots, and consider the stability of accessibility features as robots are updated and replaced over time. An analytical autoethnographic approach and an Inclusive Design Model are used, which employ the researcher’s experience as a blind person and children’s feedback to inform ongoing design revisions to the Informal STEM Education activities. Children experimented with playing with and programming robotic toys such as a Bee-bot, Cubetto, Cubelets and Lego Mindstorm EV3, using modified mats and building materials. Video recording, group interviews and direct observation were the data collection tools used. Although all of the STEM education tools used in this study required at least some modification to make them more accessible for the participants, the amount of modification needed varied widely. Some tools were nearly accessible out of the box, while others could not easily be made accessible at all. This suggests many avenues for future research into the accessibility of tools for STEM education, especially robots. The inclusive design of some potential STEM education activities which were not tested, for lack of time, are also described

Camera-Based Distance Sensor

While working on a robotics project at the electrical contracting company for which we work, we discovered a gap in the electronic distance sensor market in terms of range, accuracy, precision, and cost. We designed and constructed a prototype for an electronic distance sensing component which utilizes a camera, laser, and image processor to measure distances. The laser is pointed at a surface and an image of the laser dot is captured. An image processing algorithm determines the pixel position of the dot in the image, and this position is compared to a lookup table of known values to determine the distance to the dot. In measuring our prototype’s performance, we found that it was capable of measuring distances up to 5 meters with greater than 90% accuracy. We also discuss some possible ways to improve the viability of the technology, including ways to improve the refresh rate as well as the reliability