Commutative product semantics

This article describes a structured axiomatic theory in which important practical phenomena of product semantics can be described and analyzed. The approach includes and extends the well-known semiotic notions of icon, symbol and index. Several small-scale case studies illustrate the theory

Prisoner's dilemma in software testing

In this article the problem of software testing is modeled as a formal strategic game. It is found that for certain values of the productivity and reward parameters the game is essentially equivalent to the Prisoner's Dilemma. This means that the game has a unique Nash equilibrium, which is not optimal for both players, however. Two formal games are described and analyzed in detaiJ, both capturing certain (though not all) aspects of real software testing procedures. Some of the literature on the Prisoner's Dilemma is reviewed and the r

Internet control and monitoring : options and complications

In this position paper we address the topic of Internet control and monitoring of embedded systems. Rather than jumping into solutions, we wanted to establish a clear view of the potential advantages of networking embedded systems and the technical complications that arise. The paper summarises our main findings, the options and complications that have been identified

Relation partition algebra — mathematical aspects of uses and part-of relations

AbstractManaging complexity in software engineering involves modularisation, grouping design objects into modules, subsystems, etc. This gives rise to new design objects with new ‘use relations’. The lower-level design objects relate to these in a ‘part-of’ relation. But how do ‘use relations’ at different levels of the ‘part-of hierarchy’ relate? We formalise our knowledge on uses and part-of relations, looking for mathematical laws about relations and partitions. A central role is played by an operator /. For a “uses” relation r on a set of objects X and a partitioning into modules viewed as an equivalence θ, we form a relation rθ on the set Xθ. We adopt an axiomatic point of view and investigate a variety of models, corresponding to different abstraction mechanisms and different ways of relating high- and low-level uses relations

Kinematics analysis of a robotic zipper prototype for miniaturisation

This paper presents the mechanism and kinematics analysis of a robotic zipper prototype. This generic version of the robotic zipper is dedicated to automatically open and close the zipper which could be beneficial to elderly, people with physical disability, upper limb reduction deficiencies (ULRD), visual impairment, or developmental coordination disorder (DCD). The mechanism and kinematic analysis were conducted based on the working prototype build using Meccano. Results from this study are used to select the DC motor for the miniature model of this robotic zipper. Finally, the analysis managed to define the desired amount of DC motor torque and power for the miniature model and drive the robotic zipper to function as an assistive device for zipping or unzipping process

Process algebra with pointers

Abstract. \Ve present a process algebra for mobile processes without bound or free variables. Instead; pointers arc used) that refer back to an action executed in the history of a process. The situation is comparable to a presentation of the '\~cakulus with De Bruijn indices. Note: Report CS~R 02~03) Department of Mathematics and Computer Science) Tedmische Universiteit Eindhoven

On the creation of standards for interaction between real robots and virtual worlds

Research on virtual worlds and environments has increased tremendously in the last decade, giving birth to a variety of applications spanning over several areas such as virtual reality, human-computer interaction, psychology and sociology, among others. In this paper we elaborate on one issue affecting the areas of virtual worlds and robotics: the lack of standard mechanisms for communication and interaction between virtual worlds and robots. We contribute to the scientific community our thoughts on the possibility of creating a standard platform that enable the seamless interaction between these heterogeneous, distributed devices and systems. Hopefully, these ideas will turn, in the future, into applications that not only address the challenges in communication, control and interoperability of such systems (robots and virtual worlds), but also help to improve the standard of life of people through tangible products and services

Design of a nature-like fractal celebrating warp-knitting

In earlier work we created a new textile pattern which was derived from the well-known houndstooth pattern which originates from weaving with twill binding. The new pattern became interesting, both mathematically and aesthetically because it was a fractal. Now we are turning our attention to another basic fabric construction method: warp-knitting. We develop a recursive algorithm and explore the properties of the result. We also develop an attractive fashion item based on the new pattern, to be presented at Bridges

Design semantics of connections in a smart home environment

As the environments in which we live become more intelligent— through more computational power, embedded sensors and network connections between the devices that reside in the environment—there is a risk of leaving its users clueless about what is going on. User interaction changes from interaction with a single device into interaction with a larger system— an ecology of things. Physical things are becoming mediators between the physical world and the digital, invisible world that is inside and behind them. The work we present in this article is part of ongoing academic research on using explicit design semantics to convey abstracted models of connections between devices in a smart home environment. This enables users to understand and construct meaningful mental models of the smart environment and interact with it accordingly. We illustrate our findings by presenting a demonstrator that gives users physical control over invisible, wireless connections between devices in a home entertainment scenario