Design and fabrication of an end effector

The construction is described of a prototype mechanical hand or 'end effector' for use on a remotely controlled robot, but with possible application as a prosthetic device. An analysis of hand motions is reported, from which it is concluded that the two most important manipulations (apart from grasps) are to be able to pick up a tool and draw it into a nested grip against the palm, and to be able to hold a pistol-grip tool such as an electric drill and pull the trigger. A model was tested and found capable of both these operations

Design for a Three-Fingered Hand

A general purpose end-effector for use on the space manipulator proposed for the shuttle program was developed. The end-effector has the capabilities of a human hand and peel-off value as a human prosthetic device. The design evolved through two mock-up stages. The final form contains four electric motors. While thumb and forefinger bend, their ultimate phalanges maintain a parallel stance to one another. The grip centerline is at 45 degrees to the mounting base

Review and evaluation of past solar cell development efforts

Bibliography on photovoltaic effect and solar cell developmen

Harnessing Chaos

"Harnessing Chaos" is an explanation of changes in dominant politicalized assumptions about what the Bible really means in English culture since the 1960s. James G. Crossley looks at how the social upheavals of the 1960s, and the economic shift from the post-war dominance of Keynesianism to the post-1970s dominance of neoliberalism, brought about certain emphases and nuances in the ways in which the Bible is popularly understood, particularly in relation to dominant political ideas. This book examines the decline of politically radical biblical interpretation in parliamentary politics and the victory of (a modified form of) Margaret Thatcher's re-reading of the liberal Bible tradition, following the normalisation of (a modified form of) Thatcherism more generally

Review and evaluation of past solar cell development efforts Semiannual report, Jun. 1 - Nov. 30, 1967

Historical review of scientific work on photovoltaic effects and on energy conversion devices using this effec

Progress in thin film GaAs solar cells

Solar cells using polycrystalline films of gallium arsenid

The O&M driven design of a multi-row platform tidal project

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from EWTEC via the link in this recordA number of tidal projects with different design, sizes and conceptual approaches, have been developed in recent years. While the technology has proven to be effective in converting tidal streams into electric energy, the economic viability is still far from being achieved due to unforeseen complications following the installation of the devices. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the major challenges tidal energy developers should consider in order to design a viable tidal energy device. In addition, based on past field experiences, the typical issues encountered by offshore contractors during the deployment of one or an array of devices are presented. Therefore, paying special attention to the operational requirements of the devices, the solutions to these offshore challenges are proposed. Hence, a novel tidal concept is presented, using lifecycle O&M costs as a top driver for the development of the device. Subsequently, the iterative improvement of the project is achieved by means of a verified and calibrated integrated framework, based on Monte Carlo simulation and evolutionary algorithms, in order to support the decision-making process and management of the assets. Thus, the pivotal role of computational tools to improve the profitability of the project while ensuring satisfactory levels of availability and reliability is highlighted, and the potential for cost reduction in the design of a tidal energy project, in order to achieve financial viability, is shown.European Regional Development Fund (ERDF

Who the hell was that? Stories, bodies and actions in the world

This article explores a two-way relationship between stories and the experiential actions of bodies in the world. Through an autoethnographic approach, the article presents a series of interlinked story fragments in an effort to show and evoke a feel for the ways in which stories, bodies, and actions influence and shape each other over time. It offers some reflections on the experiences the stories portray from the perspective of a social constructionist conception of narrative theory and suggest that while stories exert a powerful influence on the actions of our bodies, our bodies intrude on or ‘talk back’ to this process because bodies have an existence beyond stories

Narratives of therapeutic art-making in the context of marital breakdown: Older women reflect on a significant mid-life experience

This paper explores the narratives of three women aged 65-72 years. They reflected on an episode of therapeutic art-making in midlife, which addressed depression associated with marital crisis and breakdown. The narrative analysis focused upon on the ways in which participants narrated the events leading up to their participation in therapeutic art-making; the aspects of therapeutic art-making that continued to be given significance; the characters given primacy in the stories they told about their journey through therapy and marital breakdown; meanings, symbolic and otherwise, that participants ascribed to their artwork made during this turning point in their lives; and aspects of the narratives that conveyed present-day identities and artistic endeavors. The narratives revealed the complexity of the journey through marital breakdown and depression into health, and showed that therapeutic art-making could best be understood, not as a stand-alone experience, but as given meaning within the context of wider personal and social resources. Participants looked back on therapeutic art-making that occurred two decades earlier and still described this as a significant turning point in their personal development. Art as an adjunct to counselling/therapy was not only symbolically self-expressive but provided opportunity for decision-making, agency and a reformulated self-image

The 1997 event in the Crab pulsar revisited

A complex event observed in the radio pulses from the Crab pulsar in 1997 included echoes, a dispersive delay, and large changes in intensity. It is shown that these phenomena were due to refraction at the edge of a plasma cloud in the outer region of the Crab Nebula. Several similar events have been observed, although in less detail. It is suggested that the plasma cloud is in the form of filaments with diameter around 3 x 10^11m and electron density of order 10^4 cm-3Comment: 5 pages 4 figs Accepted by MNRA