Ergonomic Simulation Revisited Using Parametric Virtual Humans in the Biomechanical Framework

The conventional CAD/CAM approach to design does not show the essential spatial relationships between user and product that are crucial for intuitive design analysis. As populations age and the home appliance market stagnates, Universal Design principles implemented with computerized virtual worlds become more important for meeting the ergonomic problems of heterogeneous populations that are increasingly difficult to adequately test with real-world subjects. Digital Human Modelling (DHM) is an emerging area that bridges computer-aided engineering design, human factors engineering and applied ergonomics. The most advanced forms of this technology are being used by many researchers for practical applications, including ergonomic analysis. However, a state of the art model of this technology has never been conceived for the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle as most conventional DHM techniques lack real time interaction, require considerable user intervention, and have inefficient control facilities and non-adequate validation techniques, all contributing to slow production pipelines. They have also not addressed the needs of the growing ageing population in many societies across the globe. The focus of this dissertation is to introduce a complete framework for ergonomic simulation at the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle based on parametric virtual humans in a prioritized inverse kinematics framework while taking biomechanical knowledge in to account. Using an intuitive control facility, design engineers can input a simple CAD model, design variables and human factors in to the system. The evaluation engine generates the required simulation in real-time by making use of an Anthropometric Database, Physical Characteristic Database and Prioritized Inverse Kinematics architecture. The key components of the total system are described and the results are demonstrated with a few applications such as kitchen, wash-basin and bath-tub. By introducing a quantitative estimation of ageing algorithm for anthropometric digital human models, products can be designed from the start to suit the ergonomic needs of the user rather than the biases and assumptions of the designer. Also, by creating a tool that can be used intuitively by non-specialists in a dynamic, real-time environment, designers can stop relying on specialists to test the safety of their ideas and start to effectively use data about populations to discover designs that can be used more easily by more people. Results have been validated with real human subjects indicating the practical implication of the total system as an ergonomic design tool for the conceptual design stage of a product development cycle

AEDGE: Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration in Space

We propose in this White Paper a concept for a space experiment using cold atoms to search for ultra-light dark matter, and to detect gravitational waves in the frequency range between the most sensitive ranges of LISA and the terrestrial LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO experiments. This interdisciplinary experiment, called Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration (AEDGE), will also complement other planned searches for dark matter, and exploit synergies with other gravitational wave detectors. We give examples of the extended range of sensitivity to ultra-light dark matter offered by AEDGE, and how its gravitational-wave measurements could explore the assembly of super-massive black holes, first-order phase transitions in the early universe and cosmic strings. AEDGE will be based upon technologies now being developed for terrestrial experiments using cold atoms, and will benefit from the space experience obtained with, e.g., LISA and cold atom experiments in microgravity. This paper is based on a submission (v1) in response to the Call for White Papers for the Voyage 2050 long-term plan in the ESA Science Programme. ESA limited the number of White Paper authors to 30. However, in this version (v2) we have welcomed as supporting authors participants in the Workshop on Atomic Experiments for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration held at CERN: ({\tt https://indico.cern.ch/event/830432/}), as well as other interested scientists, and have incorporated additional material

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies.publishedVersio

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies

Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry:Workshop Summary

This document presents a summary of the 2023 Terrestrial Very-Long-Baseline Atom Interferometry Workshop hosted by CERN. The workshop brought together experts from around the world to discuss the exciting developments in large-scale atom interferometer (AI) prototypes and their potential for detecting ultralight dark matter and gravitational waves. The primary objective of the workshop was to lay the groundwork for an international TVLBAI proto-collaboration. This collaboration aims to unite researchers from different institutions to strategize and secure funding for terrestrial large-scale AI projects. The ultimate goal is to create a roadmap detailing the design and technology choices for one or more km-scale detectors, which will be operational in the mid-2030s. The key sections of this report present the physics case and technical challenges, together with a comprehensive overview of the discussions at the workshop together with the main conclusions

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies

AEDGE: Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration in Space

Abstract: We propose in this White Paper a concept for a space experiment using cold atoms to search for ultra-light dark matter, and to detect gravitational waves in the frequency range between the most sensitive ranges of LISA and the terrestrial LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA/INDIGO experiments. This interdisciplinary experiment, called Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration (AEDGE), will also complement other planned searches for dark matter, and exploit synergies with other gravitational wave detectors. We give examples of the extended range of sensitivity to ultra-light dark matter offered by AEDGE, and how its gravitational-wave measurements could explore the assembly of super-massive black holes, first-order phase transitions in the early universe and cosmic strings. AEDGE will be based upon technologies now being developed for terrestrial experiments using cold atoms, and will benefit from the space experience obtained with, e.g., LISA and cold atom experiments in microgravity. KCL-PH-TH/2019-65, CERN-TH-2019-12

Design and development of image processing algorithms for quantitative road traffic data analysis

High traffic volume monitoring and traffic congestion being a major concern for authorities, this project targets to design quantitative analysis algorithms based on image processing technique. Image processing techniques in MATLAB software were used to realize the requirements. Several other existing traffic data collection and monitoring techniques were studied prior to implementation of this project that included advantages and disadvantages of each technique. Traffic video footage samples were collected from express highways in both night and day conditions and extracted into frames before going through image segmentation techniques such as edge detection and background difference. Algorithms to obtain quantitative information such as vehicle count and vehicle speed were designed which incorporated to MATLAB Graphic User Interface (GUI) environment in which the results of processing were displayed with a number of user defined settings. Vehicle classification was also done based on its size. Further applications such as monitoring of heavy traffic were also developed. Results comparison between different segmentation methods was performed to check the best detection method. Edge detection techniques generally showed comparatively better results than other methods. Certain considerations that may affect the performance of the project and Recommendations for further improvements are discussed at the end of report. In a nutshell, this project provided the author an insight about numerous traffic data analysis techniques, algorithm development and data analysis.Bachelor of Engineerin