A system for creating lecture video clipshows

This research achieves two main goals: First it proposes a set of extensions to the existing Opencast Matterhorn lecture video capture system, which should enhance its effectiveness and enable the collection of fine-grained datasets for further research. These extensions allow users to quickly and easily create, find, tag, annotate, and share `clipshows' of their video recorded classes both publicly and privately. Second, the tracking data generated when users create or view the clipshows using these extensions are used to analyze the efficacy of the system

When codex meets network: Toward an ideal smartbook

The experience of using a book in the classical, codex form – more than 1000 years old – is far from “broken.” However it is ripe for evolutionary enhancement. A cambrian explosion of forms is underway, offering new software, hardware, appliances, systems and networks that seek to extend and enhance the pleasure, power and utility of reading. But which of these forms, if any, promises the ideal combination of qualities and functions

Mechanical Design and Testing of Deployable Wideband Antenna for Nano- and Micro-Satellites

HawkEye 360 is an American geospatial analytics company that focuses on Radio Frequency (RF) signals. Satellite constellations comprised of microsatellite clusters use a unique formations to collect RF signals for geolocation. Spectrum-based frequency and geoanalytics are of great use in communication, wildlife preservation, and military defense. The Space Flight Laboratory (SFL)’s work and DEFIANT bus has been vital to the success of the 21 microsatellites within HawkEye360’s satellite constellation. The DEFIANT bus is one of SFL’s satellite platforms that has a mass of 20 – 50 kg, a volume of 36 x 36 x 45 cm, and follows the microspace design approach. SFL has not only equipped HawkEye360 with the DEFIANT bus, but has developed technologies vital to the success of each cluster. More specifically, SFL has developed high performance attitude control systems, navigation technology, and SFL formation determination and control algorithms. There is a demand for improved communications antennas to ensure that the microsatellite industry is evolving to face new challenges. SFL’s discone antenna will fly on the Cluster 9 satellites, enabling HawkEye360 to enhance their RF capabilities

2020 Media Futures

What will our media and entertainment be like in 2020

F*** workflows: when parts of FAIR are missing

The FAIR principles for scientific data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) are also relevant to other digital objects such as research software and scientific workflows that operate on scientific data. The FAIR principles can be applied to the data being handled by a scientific workflow as well as the processes, software, and other infrastructure which are necessary to specify and execute a workflow. The FAIR principles were designed as guidelines, rather than rules, that would allow for differences in standards for different communities and for different degrees of compliance. There are many practical considerations which impact the level of FAIR-ness that can actually be achieved, including policies, traditions, and technologies. Because of these considerations, obstacles are often encountered during the workflow lifecycle that trace directly to shortcomings in the implementation of the FAIR principles. Here, we detail some cases, without naming names, in which data and workflows were Findable but otherwise lacking in areas commonly needed and expected by modern FAIR methods, tools, and users. We describe how some of these problems, all of which were overcome successfully, have motivated us to push on systems and approaches for fully FAIR workflows.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figures, accepted to ERROR 2022 workshop (see https://error-workshop.org/ for more information), to be published in proceedings of IEEE eScience 202

Designing for emergence and innovation: Redesigning design

We reveal the surprising and counterintuitive truth that the design process, in and of itself, is not always on the forefront of innovation. Design is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for the success of new products and services. We intuitively sense a connection between innovative design and emergence. The nature of design, emergence and innovation to understand their interrelationships and interdependencies is examined. We propose that design must harness the process of emergence; for it is only through the bottom-up and massively iterative unfolding of emergence that new and improved products and services are successfully refined, introduced and diffused into the marketplace. The relationships among design, emergence and innovation are developed. What designers can learn from nature about emergence and evolution that will impact the design process is explored. We examine the roles that design and emergence play in innovation. How innovative organizations can incorporate emergence into their design process is explored. We demarcate the boundary between invention and innovation. We also articulate the similarities and differences of design and emergence. We then develop the following three hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: “An innovative design is an emergent design.” Hypothesis 2: “A homeostatic relationship between design and emergence is a required condition for innovation.”Hypothesis 3: “Since design is a cultural activity and culture is an emergent phenomenon, it follows that design leading to innovation is also an emergent phenomenon” We provide a number of examples of how design and emergence have worked together and led to innovation. Examples include the tool making of early man; the evolutionary chain of the six languages speech, writing, math, science, computing and the Internet; the Gutenberg printing press and techniques of collaborative filtering associated with the Internet. We close by describing the relationship between human and naturally “designed” systems and the notion a key element of a design is its purpose as is the case with a living organism

Flight Testing of Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems on the Mighty Eagle Robotic Lander Testbed

During 2011 a series of progressively more challenging flight tests of the Mighty Eagle autonomous terrestrial lander testbed were conducted primarily to validate the GNC system for a proposed lunar lander. With the successful completion of this GNC validation objective the opportunity existed to utilize the Mighty Eagle as a flying testbed for a variety of technologies. In 2012 an Autonomous Rendezvous and Capture (AR&C) algorithm was implemented in flight software and demonstrated in a series of flight tests. In 2012 a hazard avoidance system was developed and flight tested on the Mighty Eagle. Additionally, GNC algorithms from Moon Express and a MEMs IMU were tested in 2012. All of the testing described herein was above and beyond the original charter for the Mighty Eagle. In addition to being an excellent testbed for a wide variety of systems the Mighty Eagle also provided a great learning opportunity for many engineers and technicians to work a flight program

Infrastructure and Process Improvements After LADEE

The purpose of the Lunar Atmosphere Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission was to measure the density, composition and time variability of the lunar dust environment. The successful mission launched Sept 7, 2013 and was de-orbited and impacted the moon's surface on April 17, 2014. The spacecraft had 3 primary science instruments, the Lunar Dust Experiment, Neutral Mass Spectrometer, and the Ultra Violet Spectrometer. The mission also had a Laser Communications payload that set a record download rate of 622 Mbps (megabits per second) from the moon orbit. The goal is to use the LADEE software base for upcoming smallsat missions. The onboard flight software for the mission was developed using a Model-Based Software methodology and agile software development practices. High level models were developed in Simulink, autocoded to C and layered on Core Flight Executive and Core Flight Software, VxWorks and required board support packages. Software package versions were frozen several years ago, and need to be brought to modern standards for future spacecraft missions. We are evaluating alternate Real Time Operating Systems and avionics architectures that comply with CubeSat form-factor and power limitations. In addition, the tool chain for the software development process has been improved. We will discuss the rationale, trades and implementation for the upgrade path after the LADEE mission