Long-range eye tracking: A feasibility study

The design considerations for a long-range Purkinje effects based video tracking system using current technology is presented. Past work, current experiments, and future directions are thoroughly discussed, with an emphasis on digital signal processing techniques and obstacles. It has been determined that while a robust, efficient, long-range, and non-invasive eye tracking system will be difficult to develop, such as a project is indeed feasible

A Calibration Method for the Integrated Design of Finishing Robotic Workcells in the Aerospace Industry

Industrial robotics provides high flexibility and reconfigurability, cost effectiveness and user friendly programming for many applications but still lacks in accuracy. An effective workcell calibration reduces the errors in robotic manufacturing and contributes to extend the use of industrial robots to perform high quality finishing of complex parts in the aerospace industry. A novel workcell calibration method is embedded in an integrated design framework for an in-depth exploitation of CAD-based simulation and offline programming. The method is composed of two steps: a first offline calibration of the workpiece-independent elements in the workcell layout and a final automated online calibration of workpiece-dependent elements. The method is finally applied to a robotic workcell for finishing aluminum housings of helicopter gear transmissions, characterized by complex and non-repetitive shapes, and by severe dimensional and geometrical accuracy demands. Experimental results demonstrate enhanced performances of the robotic workcell and improved final quality of the housings

Path Selection and Adaptive Selection of Smart Antenna Transmission Schemes in Multi-hop Wireless Networks

Part 1: Radio CommunicationsInternational audienceThe performance of multi-hop wireless networks can be substantially improved by using smart antennas. However, the utilization of smart antennas is quite challenging as the benefit of the different transmission modes strongly depends on specific channel conditions. In this paper we present a novel path selection protocol PSPSA (path selection protocol for smart antennas) and a modified MAC protocol that exploits the benefits of smart antennas. PSPSA selects an optimum path considering the specific ranges and transmission rates implied by the different transmission schemes (spatial multiplexing and beamforming). The MAC protocol is a modification of the traditional DCF scheme to cope with the different PHY layer transmission schemes. Our solution enables mesh nodes to dynamically select their transmission scheme on a per packet basis according to the current channel conditions. Simulation results show that the overall packet success rate (throughput) of multi-hop wireless networks are substantially improved