Genetic learning of fuzzy reactive controllers

P. 33-41This paper concerns the learning of basic behaviors in an autonomous robot. It presents a method to adapt basic reactive behaviors using a genetic algorithm. Behaviors are implemented as fuzzy controllers and the genetic algorithm is used to evolve their rules. These rules will be formulated in a fuzzy way using prefixed linguistic labels. In order to test the rules obtained in each generation of the genetic evolution process, a real robot has been used. Numerical results from the evolution rate of the different experiments, as well as an example of the fuzzy rules obtained, are presented and discussedS

Automatic Extraction of Power Cables Location in Railways Using Surface LiDAR Systems

[EN] The assembly and maintenance of electrified railway systems is of vital importance for its correct operation. Contact wires are critical elements since the correct collection of energy from trains through pantographs depends on them. Periodical inspection of the state of these installations is essential. This task traditionally implies a heavy manual workload subject to errors. A new system that allows one to check the state (height and stagger) of contact and messenger wires is presented on this article blueA new method based on seven steps for identifying the contact wires and measuring their height and stagger from point clouds recorded by means of a LiDAR system is presented. This system can be used both in assembly and maintenance phases, as well as afterwards, allowing the analysis of point clouds previously recorded. The new method was evaluated in both test bench and real environments against the commonly used measurement method. Results with the comparison between this new system and the commonly used measurement method in both test bench and real railway environments are presented. Results of this comparison show differences of less than a centimetre on average and the amount of time spent for the measuring phase is significantly decreased and not prone to human errors.S

SecDocker: Hardening the Continuous Integration Workflow

1-13 p.Current Continuous Integration (CI) processes face significant intrinsic cybersecurity challenges. The idea is not only to solve and test formal or regulatory security requirements of source code but also to adhere to the same principles to the CI pipeline itself. This paper presents an overview of current security issues in CI workflow. It designs, develops, and deploys a new tool for the secure deployment of a container-based CI pipeline flow without slowing down release cycles. The tool, called SecDocker for its Docker-based approach, is publicly available in GitHub. It implements a transparent application f irewall based on a configuration mechanism avoiding issues in the CI workflow associated with intended or unintended container configurations. Integrated with other DevOps Engineers tools, it provides feedback from only those scenarios that match specific patterns, addressing future container security issues.SIhttps://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42979-021-00939-

Haptic Zoom: An Interaction Model for Desktop Haptic Devices with Limited Workspace

[EN] Haptic devices can be used to feel through the sense of touch what the user is watching in a virtual scene. Force feedback devices provide kinesthetic information enabling the user to touch virtual objects. However, the most reasonably priced devices of this type are the desktop ones, which have a limited workspace that does not allow a natural and convenient interaction with virtual scenes due to the difference in size between them and the workspace. In this paper, a brand-new interaction model addressing this problem is proposed. It is called Haptic Zoom and it is based on performing visual and haptic amplifications of regions of interest. These amplifications allow the user to decide whether s/he wants more freedom in movements or an accurate interaction with a specific element inside the scene. An evaluation has been carried out comparing this technique and two well-known desktop haptic device techniques. Preliminary results showed that haptic zoom can be more useful than other techniques at accuracy tasks.SIA. G. acknowledges a FPU fellowship provided by the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte of Spain

Implementation and design of a service-based framework to integrate personal and institutional learning environments

The landscape of teaching and learning has changed in recent years because of the application of Information and Communications technology. Among the most representative innovations in this regard are Learning Management Systems. Despite of their popularity in institutional contexts and the wide set of tools and services that they provide to learners and teachers, they present several issues. Learning Management Systems are linked to an institution and a period of time, and are not adapted to learners' needs. In order to address these problems Personal Learning Environments are defined, but it is clear that these will not replace Learning Management Systems and other institutional contexts. Both types of environment should therefore coexist and interact. This paper presents a service-based framework to facilitate such interoperability. It supports the export of functionalities from the institutional to the personal environment and also the integration within the institution of learning outcomes from personal activities. In order to achieve this in a flexible, extensible and open way, web services and interoperability specifications are used. In addition some interoperability scenarios are posed. The framework has been tested in real learning contexts and the results show that interoperability is possible, and that it benefits learners, teachers and institutions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Learning Fuzzy Reactive Behaviors in Autonomous Robots

This paper is concerned with the learning of basic behaviors in autonomous robots. In this way, we present a method for the adaptation of basic reactive behaviors implemented as fuzzy controllers applying a genetic algorithm to the evolution of the fuzzy rule system. In this sense, we show our experiments in the evolution of control rules based on symbolic concepts represented as linguistic labels. The rules will be formulated in a fuzzy way and in order to test the rules obtained in each generation of the genetic algorithm a real robot has been used. The individual with the best performance is chosen to generate a new population: the elite strategy. All the new individuals were tested in the same real environment. In conclusion, the individuals of the last generation offer a set of rules that provides better performance than the ones designed by a non-expert designe

Sistema y método de interacción en entornos virtuales utilizando dispositivos hápticos

[ES] Sistema y método de interacción en entornos virtuales. El método comprende: detectar una orden de zoom de una escena virtual inicial; generar, por parte de una unidad de procesamiento gráfico, una nueva escena virtual a partir de la escena virtual inicial con un nivel de ampliación modificado en función de la orden de zoom detectada; mapear el espacio de trabajo de un dispositivo háptico con el espacio que representa la nueva escena virtual; y representar la nueva escena virtual. La orden de zoom se puede realizar mediante pulsación de un botón del dispositivo háptico o mediante comando de voz. La orden de zoom es una instrucción que permite modificar progresivamente el nivel de ampliación de la escena virtual inicial o modificar puntualmente el nivel de ampliación de la escena virtual inicial según un determinado valor predefinido

Método, sistema y producto de programa para interacción en entornos de realidad virtual mediante dispositivo háptico de realimentación de fuerzas de escritorio

[ES] Método, sistema y producto de programa para interacción en entornos de realidad virtual mediante dispositivo háptico de realimentación de fuerzas de escritorio (502). El método (100) comprende: definir (102) un espacio de acción (210) en un entorno de realidad virtual correspondiente con un espacio de trabajo (510) del dispositivo háptico de realimentación de fuerzas de escritorio (502); ante la detección (104) de una orden de modificación (512) del espacio de acción (210), modificar (106) el tamaño del espacio de acción (210) en función de la orden de modificación (512) detectada; determinar (107) la ubicación del espacio de acción modificado (210') para mantener inalterada la posición del avatar virtual (206); y mapear (108) el espacio de trabajo (510) del dispositivo háptico de realimentación de fuerzas de escritorio (502) con el espacio de acción modificado (210'); ante la detección (110) de una orden de recolocación (514) del espacio de acción (210), mover (112) el espacio de acción (210) a una nueva ubicación del entorno de realidad virtual en función de la orden de recolocación (514) detectada

Agent-based Adaptive Selection and Interaction to Z39.50 Servers

Digital libraries and OPACs are offering an enormous collection of information resources which can be accessed through Internet by quite different users thanks to the existence of standard protocols for information retrieval such as Z39.50. However, some users may find difficult to get the items they are looking for in such a huge bulk of heterogeneous resources since they have to know where and how they have to search for. Thus, one of the main reasons for the disregard of the Z39.50 service has traditionally been the absence of appropriate interfaces and the cost of making alternative searches. WAY-Z39.50 tries to help spreading the use of these servers by providing easy web access to them, as well as, by facilitating the access to multiple servers at once. The prototype described implements the WAY general model based on an agent-based architecture that provides adaptive searching in different servers through an adaptive interfac

Analytical Framework to Investigate Ethics, Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Engineering Project Management

[EN] Project management is part of the Engineering curricula worldwide. Frequently, project management courses are goalcentered in the pursue of a balance in the triple constrain formed by quality, cost and schedule. However, ethics, social responsibility and sustainability play a crucial role on the development of projects since their success relies on compliance with laws, regulations and local culture and values. This paper presents an in-depth analysis on the treatment of ethics, social responsibility and sustainability according to two widely-used project management standards, Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBoK) and Individual Competence Baseline for Project, Program & Portfolio Management (ICB). We design an analytical framework to carry out a desk research to these two project management standards. Particularly, we count the number of times of appearance, present the definition, if any, determine the appearance in the different knowledge areas and process groups for PMBoK and in the different competences for ICB, and identify the proposed techniques or tools for ethics, social responsibility and sustainability management. The findings of the research demonstrate that ICB treats the three concepts more in deep than PMBoK. PMBoK refers more often to ethics and only proposes one tool for sustainability. ICB introduces the concepts throughout the standard, with repeated references to their significance. Nevertheless, the detail that standards provide can be further elaborated. As a result, we also suggest improvement proposals that could enhance the important role of these topics for students and practitioners involved in project management.S