Towards a self-deploying and gliding robot

Strategies for hybrid locomotion such as jumping and gliding are used in nature by many different animals for traveling over rough terrain. This combination of locomotion modes also allows small robots to overcome relatively large obstacles at a minimal energetic cost compared to wheeled or flying robots. In this chapter we describe the development of a novel palm sized robot of 10\,g that is able to autonomously deploy itself from ground or walls, open its wings, recover in midair and subsequently perform goal- directed gliding. In particular, we focus on the subsystems that will in the future be integrated such as a 1.5\,g microglider that can perform phototaxis; a 4.5\,g, bat-inspired, wing folding mechanism that can unfold in only 50\,ms; and a locust-inspired, 7\,g robot that can jump more than 27 times its own height. We also review the relevance of jumping and gliding for living and robotic systems and we highlight future directions for the realization of a fully integrated robot

PMG-pro: a model-driven development method of service-based applications

In the Internet of Things, billions of networked and software-driven devices will be connected to the Internet. They can communicate and cooperate with each other to form a composite system. In this paper, we propose PMG-pro (present, model, generate and provide), a language independent, bottom-up and model-driven method for the development of such composite system. We envision that all devices in the Internet of Things provide their functionalities as services. From a service description, a service presenter generates source code (i.e., for the service invocations) and uses an abstract graphical representation to represent a service. The code is connected to the abstract graphical service representation. A service abstractor constructs the abstract graphical representations even more abstract in hierarchical service taxonomy. Software developers use the abstract graphical service presentations to specify new service-based applications, while the source code is used for the automation of code generation

Kleptoparasitism in gulls Laridae at an urban and a coastal foraging environment: an assessment of ecological predictors

Capsule: Kleptoparasitism in gulls occurred at a greater rate at an urban compared with a coastal site. Population density and prey size predicted the rate of kleptoparasitism at the urban site. Aims: To investigate and assess the ecological variables associated with kleptoparasitism among gulls at urban and rural sites. Methods: Field observations were conducted at Brancaster (coastal rural) and Billingsgate Market (urban) to examine differences in the rate of kleptoparasitism in mixed-species flocks of gulls. Four key variables (prey size, population density, season and species) were assessed as predictors of kleptoparasitism. Results: Generalized linear models revealed significant effects on kleptoparasitism rate of site, population density and prey size, and two-way interactions between these main terms. Population density and prey size differed significantly between sites, but population density appeared to predict the rate of kleptoparasitism. Conclusion: Kleptoparasitism may well aid invasion and increase the range of environments a gull can tolerate by helping them meet their energy needs in novel environments where normal foraging behaviours are difficult to implement