SpaceBok: A Dynamic Legged Robot for Space Exploration

This paper introduces SpaceBok, a quadrupedal robot created to investigate dynamic legged locomotion for the exploration of low-gravity celestial bodies. With a hip height of 500 mm and a mass of 20 kg, its dimensions are comparable to a medium-sized dog. The robot's leg configuration is based on an optimized parallel motion mechanism that allows the integration of parallel elastic elements to store and release energy for powerful jumping maneuvers. High-torque brushless motors in combination with customized single-stage planetary gear transmissions enable force control at the foot contact points based on motor currents. We present successful walking, trotting, and pronking experiments. Thereby, Spacebok achieved maximal jump heights in single jump experiments of up to 1.05 m (more than twice the hip height) and a walking velocity of 1 m/s. Moreover, simulation results for low gravity on the moon suggest that our robot can move with up to 1.1 m/s at an approximate cost of transport of 1 in moon gravity when using the pronking gait

Making person-centred health care beneficial for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or mild dementia – results of interviews with patients and their informal caregivers

In the health care sector, person-centred treatment approaches have shown the potential to improve treatment outcomes and quality of life of patients. In particular, this applies where patients are living with complex conditions like multimorbid older patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or mild dementia. Such treatment approaches quite often include input from modern health technologies like health/home monitoring platforms which also offer services to patients for self-management of their conditions. This approach is also followed in the research project CAREPATH (An Integrated Solution for Sustainable Care for Multimorbid Patients with Dementia). To achieve acceptance of such complex health technologies, their services must be beneficial in the eyes of target end users which included in the case of CAREPATH, the patient’s informal caregivers. Therefore, understanding the user requirements of patients and their informal caregivers is of utmost importance which was achieved in CAREPATH by interviews. These revealed that patients’ preferences in regard to what services and information shall be provided to them shall be limited to what they deem necessary which is highly personal. Informal caregivers as opposed to patients, are much interested in receiving most possible information about their care-dependent’s health status. Thus, provision of services and information for these user groups need to be highly customizable to their personal preferences and needs

CAREPATH : developing digital integrated care solutions for multimorbid patients with dementia

CAREPATH project is focusing on providing an integrated solution for sustainable care for multimorbid elderly patients with dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The project has a digitally enhanced integrated patient-centered care approach clinical decision and associated intelligent tools with the aim to increase patients’ independence, quality of life and intrinsic capacity. In this paper, the conceptual aspects of the CAREPATH project, in terms of technical and clinical requirements and considerations, are presented

Long-period seismicity in the shallow volcanic edifice formed from slow-rupture earthquakes

Despite recent technological advances in volcano monitoring, eruption forecasting is still inadequate. Improved forecasting requires a deeper understanding of when unrest will lead to an actual eruption. Shallow Long Period (low spectral frequency) seismic events are routinely employed as a primary tool in forecasting strategies as they often precede eruptions. They are universally explained as resonating fluid-filled cracks or conduits, indicating the presence of mechanically active near-surface fluids. We undertake very high resolution seismic field experiments at Mt Etna, Italy; Turrialba, Costa Rica and Ubinas, Peru, in which we find that seismogram resonance is propagation path related whilst the seismic sources comprise short pulses. Data analysis and numerical modelling show that slow-rupture failure in unconsolidated volcanic materials reproduces all key aspects of these new observations. Contrary to current interpretations, here we show that our observed Long Period events are not direct indicators of fluid presence/migration, but rather are markers for upper edifice deformation. This finding encapsulates this seismicity within growing observations of a spectrum of deformation rates in other non-volcanic environments, from slow-slip earthquakes through fast dynamic rupture. It calls for a reassessment of how lowfrequency seismic signals are interpreted in their key role in eruption forecasting.AD 17/02/201