A phantom interface for the teleoperation of a mobile platform over the internet

The ability to teleoperate a mobile vehicle over the internet is a difficult task. Many sensory signals must be processed by the user in order to make an informed and safe vehicle-guiding decision. So much so, that the interface design is often the downfall of an otherwise capable mobile robot. A good interface should be able to relieve the user of some of the visual sensor strain and still result in a safely controlled mobile platform. The research detailed in thesis first, describes the construction of a reliable and sensor rich platform for remote vehicle control. Then an interface is developed that adds haptic sensing to divert some of the strain from the operator, resulting in an easy-to-drive remote vehicle application

A phantom interface for the teleoperation of a mobile platform over the internet

The ability to teleoperate a mobile vehicle over the internet is a difficult task. Many sensory signals must be processed by the user in order to make an informed and safe vehicle-guiding decision. So much so, that the interface design is often the downfall of an otherwise capable mobile robot. A good interface should be able to relieve the user of some of the visual sensor strain and still result in a safely controlled mobile platform. The research detailed in thesis first, describes the construction of a reliable and sensor rich platform for remote vehicle control. Then an interface is developed that adds haptic sensing to divert some of the strain from the operator, resulting in an easy-to-drive remote vehicle application.</p

A phantom interface for the teleoperation of a mobile platform over the internet

The ability to teleoperate a mobile vehicle over the internet is a difficult task. Many sensory signals must be processed by the user in order to make an informed and safe vehicle-guiding decision. So much so, that the interface design is often the downfall of an otherwise capable mobile robot. A good interface should be able to relieve the user of some of the visual sensor strain and still result in a safely controlled mobile platform. The research detailed in thesis first, describes the construction of a reliable and sensor rich platform for remote vehicle control. Then an interface is developed that adds haptic sensing to divert some of the strain from the operator, resulting in an easy-to-drive remote vehicle application.</p

Cold Hardiness and Survival of Interspecific Vitis Hybrids

Cold hardiness and survival of wine grapes in two locations in North Dakota was determined using differential thermal analysis for five cultivars in 2020 and six cultivars from 2020-2021. Phenological data was collected during the growing season of 2020. Phenological data showed that cultivars broke bud early in the season and matured before the first fall frost. In 2020, cultivars at Red Trail Vineyard were hardier than those at the North Dakota State University Horticulture Research Station and ?King of the North? exhibited greatest hardiness, while ?Frontenac? and ?Frontenac gris? exhibited lowest hardiness. Across both locations, ?King of the North? proved to be the most cold hardy cultivar. Unpredictable minimum temperatures during dormancy, subsequent winter injury and herbicide drift all influenced bud cold hardiness, vine recovery, and survival. These results suggest that when growing wine grapes in North Dakota, cultivar selection and vineyard placement are critical factors in sustainable production

The Effects of Belowground Resources on Aboveground Allometric Growth in Bornean Tree Species

Tree height and crown allometries reflect adaptations for resource acquisition and structural stability, as well as plastic responses to a heterogeneous environment. While both light and soil resources limit growth and influence competitive responses in tropical forests, the effects of belowground resources on allometries are less understood, especially within the understory. To characterize outcomes of tree competition along an edaphic resource gradient, we quantified variation in height and crown allometries of six Bornean tree species from contrasting regeneration niches (lightdemanding vs. shade-tolerant) on two soil habitats (clay-fine loam and sandy loam) within a 52-ha forest dynamics plot. Using empiricallyfit allometric parameters and diameter growth rates from plot census data, we modeled tree height and crown area growth over the projected life span of each species. Based on resource competition theory, we hypothesized that tree species specializing on and populations of generalist species growing on the relatively moister, more fertile clay-fine loam soil habitat would have faster height and crown growth rates, compared to those on the sandy loam habitat, regardless of regeneration niche. Among soil specialists and within generalists of both genera, trees growing on clay-fine loam had taller stems and larger crowns at a given age and faster height and crown area growth rates at most sizes than trees on sandy loam. Differences in height and crown growth were driven by the faster diameter growth rates of trees on clay-fine loam, not by differences in height- and crown-diameter allometries, as trees on sandy loam were significantly taller at a given diameter, and differences in crown allometry were not consistent across soil habitats. Characterizing the height and crown growth responses of trees along resource gradients provides insight into the mechanisms that maintain diversity in tropical forests. Our results point to the importance of adaptive and plastic responses to both above- and belowground resource availability in determining the allometric growth of trees and suggest that this diversity of responses may contribute tree species coexistence through competition-based trade-off mechanisms and variation in growth among individuals. Additionally, as the importance estimating natural carbon sequestration increases with the escalating effects of anthropogenic climate change, differences in tree growth and architecture across soil habitats also have implications for the approximation of forest carbon storage on heterogeneous tropical soils. Includes supplementary data and materials