Low-cost embedded system for relative localization in robotic swarms

In this paper, we present a small, light-weight, low-cost, fast and reliable system designed to satisfy requirements of relative localization within a swarm of micro aerial vehicles. The core of the proposed solution is based on off-the-shelf components consisting of the Caspa camera module and Gumstix Overo board accompanied by a developed efficient image processing method for detecting black and white circular patterns. Although the idea of the roundel recognition is simple, the developed system exhibits reliable and fast estimation of the relative position of the pattern up to 30 fps using the full resolution of the Caspa camera. Thus, the system is suited to meet requirements for a vision based stabilization of the robotic swarm. The intent of this paper is to present the developed system as an enabling technology for various robotic tasks

FPGA based speeded up robust features

We present an implementation of the Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The SURF algorithm extracts salient points from image and computes descriptors of their surroundings that are invariant to scale, rotation and illumination changes. The interest point detection and feature descriptor extraction algorithm is often used as the first stage in autonomous robot navigation, object recognition and tracking etc. However, detection and extraction are computationally demanding and therefore can't be used in systems with limited computational power. We took advantage of algorithm's natural parallelism and implemented it's most demanding parts in FPGA logic. Several modifications of the original algorithm have been made to increase it's suitability for FPGA implementation. Experiments show, that the FPGA implementation is comparable in terms of precision, speed and repeatability, but outperforms the CPU and GPU implementation in terms of power consumption. Our implementation is intended to be used in embedded systems which are limited in computational power or as the first stage preprocessing block, which allows the computational resources to focus on higher level algorithms

Simple yet stable bearing-only navigation

This article describes a simple monocular navigation system for a mobile robot based on the map-and-replay technique. The presented method is robust and easy to implement and does not require sensor calibration or structured environment, and its computational complexity is independent of the environment size. The method can navigate a robot while sensing only one landmark at a time, making it more robust than other monocular approaches. The aforementioned properties of the method allow even low-cost robots to effectively act in large outdoor and indoor environments with natural landmarks only. The basic idea is to utilize a monocular vision to correct only the robot's heading, leaving distance measurements to the odometry. The heading correction itself can suppress the odometric error and prevent the overall position error from diverging. The influence of a map-based heading estimation and odometric errors on the overall position uncertainty is examined. A claim is stated that for closed polygonal trajectories, the position error of this type of navigation does not diverge. The claim is defended mathematically and experimentally. The method has been experimentally tested in a set of indoor and outdoor experiments, during which the average position errors have been lower than 0.3 m for paths more than 1 km long

Visual road following using intrinsic images

We present a real-time visual-based road following method for mobile robots in outdoor environments. The approach combines an image processing method, that allows to retrieve illumination invariant images, with an efficient path following algorithm. The method allows a mobile robot to autonomously navigate along pathways of different types in adverse lighting conditions using monocular vision

External localization system for mobile robotics

We present a fast and precise vision-based software intended for multiple robot localization. The core component of the proposed localization system is an efficient method for black and white circular pattern detection. The method is robust to variable lighting conditions, achieves sub-pixel precision, and its computational complexity is independent of the processed image size. With off-the-shelf computational equipment and low-cost camera, its core algorithm is able to process hundreds of images per second while tracking hundreds of objects with millimeter precision. We propose a mathematical model of the method that allows to calculate its precision, area of coverage, and processing speed from the camera’s intrinsic parameters and hardware’s processing capacity. The correctness of the presented model and performance of the algorithm in real-world conditions are verified in several experiments. Apart from the method description, we also publish its source code; so, it can be used as an enabling technology for various mobile robotics problems

Visual field asymmetries in numerosity processing

Acknowledgements We thank Marlene Poncet for helpful comments on the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Potential endangerment offences: an old but newly discovered concept

Тези науково-педагогічних працівників, аспірантів та здобувачів вищої освіти.Slovenian criminal legal theory generally distinguishes between two types of criminal offences of endangerment: concrete and abstract endangerment offences (in German: konkrete and abstrakte Gefährdungsdelikte) . The difference between the two is mainly in the intensity of the danger, caused by the perpetrator’s actions to a legally protected good (interest). Concrete endangerment offences require actual danger, which is imminent and directly threatens to escalate into harming a legally protected good. Concrete danger must always be established by the judge, taking into account all the circumstances of each individual case. On the other hand, criminality of abstract endangerment offences does not derive from the actual danger, but from the fact that certain conduct typically causes general danger to a legally protected good and is therefore criminalised regardless of whether the actual danger actually occurs

A patient with intractable pain on high dose opioid therapy. Could we manage not to escalate the opioid dose?

Prolonged opioid treatment reveals problems, like opioid tolerance and opioid induced hyperalgesia. On every stage of disease it should be remembered to use procedures that can have opioid dose sparing effect. We describe a patient with severe mixed neuropathic and nociceptive pain who despite complex medication embracing high dose of morphine suffered from untractable pain. He responded to opioid antagonist with sequential opioid rotation and a simple minimally invasive procedure.Prolonged opioid treatment reveals problems, like opioid tolerance and opioid induced hyperalgesia. On every stage of disease it should be remembered to use procedures that can have opioid dose sparing effect. We describe a patient with severe mixed neuropathic and nociceptive pain who despite complex medication embracing high dose of morphine suffered from untractable pain. He responded to opioid antagonist with sequential opioid rotation and a simple minimally invasive procedure

Consensus statement with focus on cancer pain management

W Polsce na nowotwory złośliwe umiera w ciągu roku ponad 80 000 chorych. Ból może pojawiać się na każdym etapie choroby nowotworowej i występuje średnio u 50%, a w zaawansowanym okresie choroby - u ponad 75% chorych. Ból towarzyszący nowotworom jest różnorodny, podobnie jak mechanizmy jego powstawania. W zależności od czynnika etiologicznego wyróżnia się bóle spowodowane procesem nowotworowym, bóle powstałe w wyniku leczenia przeciwnowotworowego, bóle spowodowane wyniszczeniem nowotworowym i bóle niezwiązane z nowotworem (współistniejące). Podstawową metodą leczenia bólu u chorych na nowotwór jest farmakoterapia. W 1986 r. Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia (WHO) zaproponowała i wprowadziła prosty schemat farmakologicznego leczenia bólu w przebiegu nowotworów, którego zastosowanie jest skuteczne u 85-90% pacjentów i którego zasady przedstawiono w niniejszym opracowaniu. Omówiono także inne niefarmakologiczne metody leczenia bólu (modyfikujące przebieg choroby, fizykalne, psychologiczne, metody poprawiające jakość życia oraz blokady i zabiegi neurodestrukcyjne). Ponadto ujęto problematykę leczenia bólu totalnego i bólu w okresie umierania.In Poland, malignant diseases claim over 80 thousand lives annually. Pain may appear at any stage of cancer and manifests itself, on average, in 50% of patients, and at advanced stages of the disease - in over 75% of patients. The pain accompanying cancers is varied, as are its underlying mechanisms. Depending on its aetiology, pain may be related to the disease process itself, to the anti-cancer treatment and to cancerrelated wasting. There is also coexistent pain unrelated to the underlying disease process. Pharmacotherapy constitutes the basic method of pain treatment in cancer patients. In 1986, the World Health Organization proposed and introduced a simple formula for pharmacological treatment of cancer pain, whose practical application is effective in 85–90% of patients and whose principles are reviewed in this study. The paper also presents other, non-pharmacological methods of pain treatment (ones that modify the course of the disease, physical therapy, psychological therapy, methods that improve the quality of life, as well as blocks and neurolytic procedures). The article concludes with a discussion of issues related to the treatment of total pain and pain in the process of dying

Stanowisko dotyczące postępowania przeciwbólowego u chorych na nowotwory

W Polsce na nowotwory złośliwe umiera w ciągu roku ponad 80 000 chorych. Ból może pojawiać się na każdym etapie choroby nowotworowej i występuje średnio u 50%, a w zaawansowanym okresie choroby - u ponad 75% chorych. Ból towarzyszący nowotworom jest różnorodny, podobnie jak mechanizmy jego powstawania. W zależności od czynnika etiologicznego wyróżnia się bóle spowodowane procesem nowotworowym, bóle powstałe w wyniku leczenia przeciwnowotworowego, bóle spowodowane wyniszczeniem nowotworowym i bóle niezwiązane z nowotworem (współistniejące). Podstawową metodą leczenia bólu u chorych na nowotwór jest farmakoterapia. W 1986 r. Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia (WHO) zaproponowała i wprowadziła prosty schemat farmakologicznego leczenia bólu w przebiegu nowotworów, którego zastosowanie jest skuteczne u 85-90% pacjentów i którego zasady przedstawiono w niniejszym opracowaniu. Omówiono także inne niefarmakologiczne metody leczenia bólu (modyfikujące przebieg choroby, fizykalne, psychologiczne, metody poprawiające jakość życia oraz blokady i zabiegi neurodestrukcyjne). Ponadto ujęto problematykę leczenia bólu totalnego i bólu w okresie umierania