An Open-Source Social Robot Based on Compliant Soft Robotics for Therapy with Children with ASD

Therapy with robotic tools is a promising way to help improve verbal and nonverbal communication in children. The robotic tools are able to increase aspects such as eye contact and the ability to follow instructions and to empathize with others. This work presents the design methodology, development, and experimental validation of a novel social robot based on CompliAnt SofT Robotics called the CASTOR robot, which intends to be used as an open-source platform for the long-term therapy of children with autism spectrum disorder (CwASD). CASTOR integrates the concepts of soft actuators and compliant mechanisms to create a replicable robotic platform aimed at real therapy scenarios involving physical interaction between the children and the robot. The validation shows promising results in terms of robustness and the safety of the user and robot. Likewise, mechanical tests assess the robot’s response to blocking conditions for two critical modules (i.e., neck and arm) in interaction scenarios. Future works should focus on the validation of the robot’s effectiveness in the therapy of CwASD.</jats:p

Dense and near-net-shape fabrication of Si3N4 ceramics

With silicon nitride significant progress has been made in order to search for fully dense, strong, reliable structural ceramics to find wide use in applications at high temperatures which are allowing new and innovative solutions to component design problems. Taking into account that more and more ceramic components based on Si3N4 are being used in the aerospace and automobile industries, it is a great challenge to fabricate such complex-shaped components with high reliability and with defect-free microstructures such as pores, inclusions or any other inhomogeneity at acceptable costs. On the other side, the high hardness Of Si3N4 ceramics is almost always cost prohibitive to shape components by hard machining. It is therefore great effort exhibited in the development of near-net-shape fabrication processes that can produce complex-shaped components with a minimum of machining as well as to minimize the number and size of microstructural defects within design limits. In this review, the fabrication of near-net-shape Si3N4 ceramics is given in detail. All kinds of these techniques (injection molding, gel-casting, robocasting, mold shape deposition, rapid prototyping) and their advantages and disadvantages are explained. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Mechanical properties of silicon nitride-based ceramics and its use in structural applications at high temperatures

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) based ceramics are gaining more and more attention due to their promising high-temperature thermal and mechanical properties. They have been expected to be the main candidates for applications such as turbocharger rotors and gas turbine engine components which can withstand severe conditions of temperature and heavy loads. Although a big number of studies on silicon nitride are published, a continuous progress in monolithic Si3N4 as well as Si3N4/Si3N4 composites (seeded materials) leads to new scientific and technological data providing new insight that should be reviewed taking into account their excellent properties at high temperatures. Silicon nitride possesses a bunch variety of interesting properties that can be specifically designed to produce a given behavior profile. That is why the room temperature and high-temperature properties are discussed and described in more detail. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Novel process for the production of 3Y-TZP ceramics: comparison between ageing in artificial saliva and accelerated ageing

The degradation of tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (3Y-TZP) ceramics prepared by a novel film growth technique, and by sintering at 1400 °C, was evaluated for one year using two processes: (i) degradation under oral conditions in artificial saliva (37 °C and pH 6.8) and (ii) accelerated degradation by autoclaving at 134 °C at 0.2 MPa of pressure. X-ray diffraction analysis of 3Y-TZP ceramics sintered at 1400 °C showed a phase transformation (tetragonal to monoclinic) in 3Y-TZP ceramics after the fifth month in artificial saliva. After 12 months in artificial saliva, there was ∼11% of monoclinic phase present in 3Y-TZP ceramics, but only ∼2% of monoclinic phase in samples that were subjected to accelerated degradation for 5 h. No correlation was found between the level of ageing during accelerated degradation and degradation in artificial saliva. There was no degradation of 3Y-TZP ceramics prepared by a novel film growth technique, independently of the degradation method used, which suggests that this material could be used for dental prosthetics

Influence of perceived value on loyalty costumers in virtual fitness versus fitness group activities in fitness centres

Cada vez más los centros de fitness incorporan las nuevas tecnologías en sus servicios deportivos, encontrándonos con una nueva tendencia desarrollada a partir de la evolución natural de las actividades dirigidas con técnico (AADDT). Ésta son las actividades dirigidas virtuales (AADDV) en las que la inexistencia del técnico resulta ser uno de los aspectos más llamativos, no sólo en la experiencia sino también en términos de costes. El objetivo de este estudio fue el análisis del valor percibido y la fidelidad de los clientes en ambas actividades, analizando las diferencias existentes entre dichas actividades y la relación entre ambas. La muestra se compuso de 216 usuarios de un centro de fitness (128 mujeres y 88 hombres) con edades comprendidas entre los 35 a 65 años. Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas entre el valor percibido y la fidelidad respecto a los dos servicios deportivos, obteniendo valores más positivos en las actividades que requieren un técnico deportivo, influyendo positivamente el valor percibido sobre la fidelidad. El resultado obtenido ofrece a los responsables de los centros de fitness una oportunidad para el análisis y para la anexión o no de este tipo de servicios deportivos.Sin financiaciónNo data 201