Wire Harness Assembly Process Supported by Collaborative Robots: Literature Review and Call for R&D

The wire harness assembly process is a complicated manufacturing activity, which is becoming more complex because of the evolving nature of mechatronic and electronic products that require more connectors, sensors, controllers, communication networking, etc. Furthermore, the demand for wire harnesses continues to grow in all industries worldwide as the majority of equipment, appliances, machinery, vehicles, etc., are becoming "smart" (i.e., more mechatronic or electronic). Moreover, most of the wire harness assembly process tasks are done manually, and most of these are considered non-ergonomic for human assembly workers. Hence, the wire harness manufacturing industry is faced with the challenge of increasing productivity while improving the occupational health of its human assembly workers. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a literature review exploring the state of the use of collaborative robots in the wire harness assembly process due to their potential to reduce current occupational health problems for human assembly workers and increase the throughput of wire harness assembly lines, and to provide main findings, discussion, and further research directions for collaborative robotics in this application domain. Eleven papers were found in the scientific literature. All papers demonstrated the potential of collaborative robots to improve the productivity of wire harness assembly lines, and two of these in particular on the ergonomics of the wire harness assembly process. None of the papers reviewed presented a cost-benefit or a cycle time analysis to qualitatively and/or quantitatively measure the impact of the incorporation of collaborative robots in the wire harness assembly process. This represents an important area of opportunity for research with relevance to industry. Three papers remark on the importance of the integration of computer vision systems into a collaborative wire harness assembly process to make this more versatile as many types of wire harnesses exist. The literature review findings call for further research and technological developments in support of the wire harness manufacturing industry and its workers in four main categories: (i) Collaborative Robotics and Grippers, (ii) Ergonomics, (iii) Computer Vision Systems, and (iv) Implementation Methodologies

PROTOTIPO PARA EL CONTROL ELECTRÓNICO DE UN MOTOR BLDC USADO EN UN VEHÍCULO ELÉCTRICO (PROTOTYPE FOR THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL OF A BLDC MOTOR USED IN AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE)

Resumen En este trabajo, se presenta el desarrollo de la electrónica para el control de un motor BLDC que forma parte de la etapa de tracción de un vehículo eléctrico. La información que se ofrece considera la electrónica de potencia, la instrumentación y el control con base en un microcontrolador de 8 bits. En el documento se da una breve explicación del funcionamiento general del motor y se presenta la estructura general del controlador, en donde se exponen los puntos relevantes de la electrónica de potencia y las consideraciones que se tomaron en cuenta para la elección de sus componentes. Se describe el algoritmo que ajusta el ciclo de trabajo y controla el voltaje promedio que se aplica al motor para evitar condiciones adversas de sobretensión y sobre corriente. Se incluyen los resultados experimentales obtenidos en el laboratorio, así como el desempeño obtenido durante la competencia Sell Eco-Marathon Americas 2019. Palabras Clave: Control electrónico, electrónica de potencia, microcontrolador, motor Brushless, sensor de efecto Hall. Abstract In this work, the control electronics development of an BLDC motor that is part of the traction stage of an electric vehicle is presented. The information offered considers power electronics, instrumentation and the control based on an 8-bit microcontroller. The document gives a brief explanation of the general operation of the electric motor and the general structure of the controller is presented, where the relevant points of the power electronics and the considerations that were considered for the choice of its components are exposed. The algorithm that adjusts the duty cycle and controls the average voltage applied to the motor is described to avoid adverse overvoltage and overcurrent conditions. The experimental results obtained in the laboratory are reported, as well as their performance in the Sell Eco-Marathon Americas 2019 competition. Keywords: Brushless motor, electronic control, Hall effect sensor, microcontroller, power electronics

Soria Cardioprotegida. Primer programa español de prevención y tratamiento integral de la muerte súbita cardiaca.

pre-print154 K

DESARROLLO DEL PROTOTIPO DE UN WATTHORÍMETRO DIGITAL (DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITAL WATT-HOUR METER PROTOYPE)

ResumenEn el ámbito de vehículos eléctricos la información que se deriva del consumo energético de la fuente de polarización permite proponer mejoras y conocer los límites de su desempeño. En este documento, se presenta el desarrollo de un watthorímetro que se diseñó para conocer el consumo que demanda un vehículo eléctrico a su batería. Se discute los sensores empleados para medir las variables eléctricas de corriente y voltaje, así como sus etapas de acondicionamiento. El instrumento se apoya en un microcontrolador en donde se realiza la adquisición y el procesamiento de las señales, así como el despliegue de la información a través de una pantalla de cristal líquido. Se explica el algoritmo empleado para el procesamiento y se presenta su código principal. Por último, se describe el procedimiento para la validación del prototipo, en donde se compara contra un instrumento comercial y se presentan los resultados obtenidos. A partir de esta información, se concluyó una mejora clara con respecto al medidor comercial, el cual presentó un error del 1.8% en comparación con el prototipo desarrollado.Palabras Claves: Joulímetro, Medidor de corriente, Medidor de energía, Medidor de voltaje, Watthorímetro. AbstractDuring the design and development processes for electric vehicles, the information from the energy consumption of the polarization source allows proposing improvements and establishing limits on their performance. In this document, the development of a watt-hour meter, that was designed in order to know the consumption that is demanded from the battery in electric vehicles, is presented. The sensors used to measure the electrical variables of current and voltage, as well as their conditioning stages are discussed. The instrument was based on a microcontroller where the data acquisition and the signals processing were performed; the display of the information was carried out by means of a liquid crystal display. The processing algorithm used is explained and its main code is presented. The procedure for the prototype validation is described comparing it against a commercial instrument.Keywords: Current meter, Energy meter, Joulemeter, Voltage meter, Watt-hour meter

Assessing Foreign Language Learning Through Mobile Game-Based Learning Environments

With increasing globalization, foreign language skills have become one of the main requirements when applying for a job in leading ICT companies. Due to their ubiquity and multi-functionality, mobile devices allow teachers to provide technology-friendly students with highly dynamic learning contents in line with their lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of the available APPs still support a mainly one-way interaction (teacher to learner or computer-client interaction). The authors have designed an APP based on a highly interactive, ubiquitous and constructive learning approach. The current paper illustrates firstly how the APP has helped learners to get actively involved in their own learning process sharing and assessing their foreign language knowledge. And secondly, how students’ logs can be used to automate the assessment of different skills such as the ability to explain terms in a foreign language or to assess definitions created by other game players

Process Chain for the Fabrication of a Custom 3D Barrier for Guided Bone Regeneration

Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) is a surgical procedure that consists in the use of barrier membranes to cover bone defects caused by trauma, periodontal disease and other pathologies. These barriers allow the proliferation of bone cells, and prevent the invasion of the defect by non-osteogenic cells (connective and epithelium) in patients with a lack of horizontal and/or vertical bone. This process is essential for the successful dental implant placement. Additive manufacturing (AM) is emerging as an important tool for biomedical applications, especially for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. This paper proposes a process chain for the fabrication of a custom barrier from cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) as Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) files obtained from a patient with vertical bone resorption of the anterior maxilla.DICOM files have been processed with Invesalius 3.0 to obtain the tridimensional (3D) anatomy of the region of interest. This 3D model was cleaned, fixed, and smoothed. The prototyped model of the patient’s bone defect was further processed in Rhinoceros to offer a 3D architecture for cell growth. To obtain information of the thermal and mechanical properties a finite element method (FEM) was assessed. The prototype obtained was produced with fused deposition modeling (FDM) an additive manufacturing technology

Una ictericia de causa avergonzante

We present the case of a 63-year-old man who went to the Emergency Department complaining of jaundice, choluria, and generalised pruritus for several days. He was admitted to the General Surgery department with the initial diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and incipient cholecystitis. After being ruled out, the patient was referred to Internal Medicine for further investigation. Test results were consistent with acute cholestatic hepatitis of probable toxic origin. Although he had initially denied taking medication or other products, he eventually confessed to taking sildenafil purchased over the Internet.Presentamos el caso de un varón de 63 años que acudió a Urgencias por un cuadro de ictericia, coluria y prurito generalizado de varios días de evolución. Con el diagnóstico inicial de ictericia obstructiva y colecistitis incipiente ingresó en el servicio de Cirugía General. Tras descartarse, el paciente pasó a cargo de Medicina Interna para continuar el estudio. Los resultados de las pruebas fueron consistentes con una hepatitis colestásica aguda de probable origen tóxico. A pesar de que inicialmente había negado la ingesta de medicamentos u otros productos, finalmente reconoció la ingesta de sildenafilo comprado a través de Internet

Reimplantable Microdrive for Long-Term Chronic Extracellular Recordings in Freely Moving Rats

Extracellular recordings of electrical activity in freely moving rats are fundamental to understand brain function in health and disease. Such recordings require a small-size, lightweight device that includes movable electrodes (microdrive) to record either a new set of neurons every day or the same set of neurons over time. Ideally, microdrives should be easy to implant, allowing precise and smooth displacement of electrodes. The main caveat of most commercially available microdrives is their relatively short half-life span, in average ranging from weeks to a month. For most experiments, recording days–weeks is sufficient, but when the experiment depends on training animals for several months, it is crucial to develop new approaches. Here, we present a low-cost, reusable, and reimplantable device design as a solution to extend chronic recordings to long-term. This device is composed of a baseplate that is permanently fixed to the rodent’s skull, as well as a reusable and replaceable microdrive that can be attached and detached from the baseplate, allowing its implantation and reimplantation. Reimplanting this microdrive is particularly convenient when no clear neuronal signal is present, or when the signal gradually decays across days. Our microdrive incorporates a mechanism for moving a 16 tungsten-wire bundle within a small (∼15 mm3) lightweight device (∼4 g). We present details of the design, manufacturing, and assembly processes. As a proof of concept, we show that recordings of the nucleus accumbens core (NAcc) in a freely behaving rat are stable over a month. Additionally, during a lever-press task, we found, as expected, that NAc single-unit activity was associated with rewarded lever presses. Furthermore, we also show that NAc shell (NAcSh) responses evoked by freely licking for sucrose, consistent with our previously published results, were conserved from a first implant to a second microdrive reimplant in the same rat, notably showing reimplantation is possible without overtly affecting the functional responses of the area of interest. In sum, here we present a novel microdrive design (low-cost, small size, and light weight) that can be used for long-term chronic recordings and reimplanted in freely behaving rats

Importancia de la comunicación interpersonal en relación médico-paciente en atención primaria = Importance of interpersonal communication in doctor-patient relationship in primary care

Resumen: Este artículo tiene como finalidad conocer los aspectos que influyen en el contexto comunicacional de la relación de los profesionales sanitarios de atención primaria (médico y enfermero) en consulta y que influyen en la satisfacción de los pacientes, así como en el cumplimiento terapéutico, entre otros aspectos. Se realizó un estudio teórico a través de una revisión de la literatura, utilizando los meta-buscadores de la base de datos PubMed y de revistas especializadas. En el trabajo se proponen estrategias de persuasión y una guía de intervención para mejorar dicha relación, haciendo énfasis en la conducta no verbal, que permita una mayor eficiencia en la información transmitida por estos profesionales, teniendo en cuenta el limitado tiempo del que se dispone en las consultas. La optimización de la comunicación interpersonal médico-usuario, o enfermero-usuario, conduce a una mejora en la atención en salud, incluidos el diagnóstico y el tratamiento. Por ello debe promocionarse la adquisición y puesta en práctica de habilidades en comunicación interpersonal entre los profesionales de atención primaria. Palabras clave: Atención primaria, comunicación, paciente, médico, enfermero, lenguaje no verbal, persuasión Abstract: This article aims to understand the aspects that influence the communicative context of the relationship of primary care health professionals (physicians and nurses) in consultation and influencing patient satisfaction and treatment adherence, among other aspects. Theoretical study was conducted through a literature review, using meta-search of the PubMed database and journals. The paper proposes strategies of persuasion and intervention guidelines to improve this relationship, focusing on nonverbal behavior, allowing greater efficiency in the information provided by these professionals, taking into account the limited time available in which queries. Optimizing the user-physician interpersonal communication, or nurse-user, leading to improved health care, including diagnosis and treatment. Therefore must promote the acquisition and implementation of interpersonal communication skills among primary care professionals.Keywords: primary care, communication, patient, doctor, nurse, nonverbal language, persuasio

HERRAMIENTAS QUE REFUERZAN LA ENSEÑANZA DEL DISEÑO ELECTRÓNICO (TOOLS THAT STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING OF ELECTRONIC DESIGN)

Resumen En este documento, se habla de algunas herramientas que pueden apoyar las estrategias de enseñanza y que ayudan a reforzar los conocimientos que adquieren los estudiantes de ingeniería en el área de diseño electrónico. Este trabajo se apoya en tres herramientas que consideramos fundamentales: Notas de curso, programas de cómputo y memorias basadas en videos. Estos elementos, son parte de un proyecto que inició a principios de 2019 y aunque no ha concluido, se puso en práctica en la contingencia sanitaria del presente año. Si bien, el proyecto se planteó como un apoyo para algunos cursos curriculares en una carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica, en los resultados se describe el desempeño que se obtuvo por los estudiantes, ante la necesidad de dar uno de estos cursos a distancia, dando lugar a una reflexión sobre la viabilidad y limitaciones de impartir cursos de ingeniería bajo un esquema de educación abierta. Palabras Clave: Diseño electrónico, estrategia de enseñanza, educación a distancia, enseñanza virtual. Abstract In this document, we discuss some tools that can support teaching strategies for electronic design, which can help to reinforce the knowledge that engineering students acquire. This work is supported by three tools that we consider fundamental: Course notes, support computing programs and tutorials based on videos. These elements are part of a project that began in early 2019 and, although it has not been completed, it was put into practice during health contingency of this year. Although the project was proposed as a support for some curricular courses of Electronic Engineering, the results describe the performance obtained by the students because of the necessity of teaching these courses in remotely form, leading to a reflection on the feasibility and limitations of teaching engineering courses under an open education scheme. Keywords: Distance education, electronic design, e-learning, taching strategy