Multi-Platform Design of Smartphone Applications

Smartphone application developers should support all the main leading platforms which share the market thus increasing time-to-market and development cost. To solve this problem, the work proposes a design flow based on Model-Driven Design to develop a single version of the smartphone application which can be automatically translated into the main platform-dependent versions. We introduce a UML2 profile to represent the elements of the smartphone application independently of the target platform; the behavior of the application is modeled as a finite-state machine while the graphical user interface is modeled by using classes and objects. A set of translation rules are defined to obtain a platform-depended representation and then the actual code. The methodology has been validated by generating an application for the Android and Windows Phone platforms and by comparing it to the versions written in the traditional way

Computer vision-based mapping of grapevine vigor variability for enhanced fertilization strategies through intelligent pruning estimation

The objective of this study is to develop an affordable and non-invasive method using computer vision to estimate pruning weight in commercial vineyards. The study aims to enable controlled fertilization by leveraging pruning data as an indicator of plant vigor [1]. The methodology entails the analysis of RGB and DEPTH images acquired through an embedded platform (Figure 1) in a vineyard cultivating corvina grapes using the guyot method [2]. Initially, pruning weight was evaluated by processing pictures taken manually with a controlled background. Then, we developed an algorithm to estimate pruned wood weight based on these images. Subsequently, a mobile sensor platform was utilized to automatically capture grapevine images without a controlled background. Collected data will then be used to deploy a convolutional neural network (CNN) for intelligent pruning estimation capable of extracting meaningful data from real-world environments. Additionally, we integrated and validated a visual-odometry sensor (Intel Realsense T265) to map the spatial variability of pruning estimation results

Integration of New Features for Telerobotic Surgery into The Mirosurge System

International audienc

MiLE: systematic usability evaluation for e-learning web applications

This paper presents a proven and reusable methodology (MiLE) for performing a cost-effective usability evaluation of an e-learning web application. MiLE is a scenario-driven inspection technique which is based on the concepts of user profile, user goal, scenario, and usability attribute. Mitigating the drawbacks and merging the respective benefits of state-of-the-art methods for usability evaluation, MiLE is intended to be a helpful tool for project managers, instructional designers, and evaluators to carry out a learner-centered validation which can anticipate and analytically justify the usability breakdowns, thus providing organized indications for a focused redesign. Examples of the results that can be obtained using MiLE are showed through a real case study evaluation of a large e-learning corporate platform

GPU Based Physical Cut in Interactive Haptic Simulations

PURPOSE: Interactive, physics based, simulations of deformable bodies are a growing research area with possible applications to computer-aided surgery. Their aim is to create virtual environments where surgeons are free to practice. To ensure the needed realism, the simulations must be performed with deformable bodies. The goal of this paper is to describe the approach to the development of a physics-based surgical simulator with haptic feedback. METHOD:The main development issue is the representation of the organ behavior at the high rates required by haptic realism. Since even high-end computers have inadequate performance, our approach exploits the parallelism of modern Graphics Processing Units (GPU). Particular attention is paid to the simulation of cuts because of their great importance in the surgical practice and the difficulty in handling topological changes in real time. RESULTS: To prove the correctness of our approach, we simulated an interactive, physically based, virtual abdomen. The simulation allows the user to interact with deformable models. Deformable models are updated in real time, thus allowing the rendering of force feedback to the user. The method is optimized to handle high quality scenes: we report results of interactive simulation of two virtual tools interacting with a complex model. CONCLUSIONS: The integration of physics-based deformable models in simulations greatly increases the realism of the virtual environment, taking into account real tissue properties and allowing the user to feel the actual forces exerted by organs on virtual tools. Our method proves the feasibility of exploiting GPU to simulate deformable models in interactive virtual environments

Simulation of networked control systems with applications to telerobotics

Real-time telerobotic systems connected through packet networks belong to the broader family of Networked Control Systems, and can be easily destabilized by communication delay and packet losses, when they are not properly compensated. The solutions available in the literature are mainly based on Control Theory. This classical approach could be improved by the joint design of the network, e.g., the introduction of quality-of-service guarantees as currently done in teleconference applications. Control/network co-design needs a simulation framework where both aspects are properly and jointly addressed. The paper faces this topic starting from the discussion of its critical issues, and proposes a co-simulation tool based on SystemC for the network simulation and Matlab/Simulink

B.L.HutchingsandB.E.Nelson.Using general-purpose programming languages for FPGA design

Abstract: This paper presents a proven and reusable methodology (MiLE) for performing a costeffective usability evaluation of an e-learning web application. MiLE is a scenario-driven inspection technique which is based on the concepts of user profile, user goal, scenario, and usability attribute. Mitigating the drawbacks and merging the respective benefits of state-of-the-art methods for usability evaluation, MiLE is intended to be a helpful tool for project managers, instructional designers, and evaluators to carry out a learner-centered validation which can anticipate and analytically justify the usability breakdowns, thus providing organized indications for a focused redesign. Examples of the results that can be obtained using MiLE are showed through a real case study evaluation of a large e-learning corporate platform. 1

MiLE: Systematic . . .

This paper presents a proven and reusable methodology (MiLE) for performing a costeffective usability evaluation of an e-learning web application. MiLE is a scenario-driven inspection technique which is based on the concepts of user profile, user goal, scenario, and usability attribute. Mitigating the drawbacks and merging the respective benefits of state-of-the-art methods for usability evaluation, MiLE is intended to be a helpful tool for project managers, instructional designers, and evaluators to carry out a learner-centered validation which can anticipate and analytically justify the usability breakdowns, thus providing organized indications for a focused redesign. Examples of the results that can be obtained using MiLE are showed through a real case study evaluation of a large e-learning corporate platform

Model-Driven Design for the Development of Multi-Platform Smartphone Applications

To ensure revenues, developers of smartphone applications should support all the main leading platforms which share the market thus increasing time-to-market and development cost. To solve this problem, the paper proposes a Model-Driven Design flow to develop a single version of the application that can be automatically translated into the main platform-dependent versions. The approach is based on code generation so that no additional library or process is needed on the smartphone to support different platforms. We introduce a UML2 profile to represent the elements of the application independently of the target platform; the behavior of the application is modeled as a finite-state machine while the graphical user interface is modeled by using classes and objects. A set of translation rules is defined to obtain a platform-dependent representation and then the actual code. The methodology has been validated by creating an application for both the Android and Windows Phone platform and by comparing the obtained code to the corresponding versions written in the traditional way