Geometric configuration in robot kinematic design

A lattice of geometries is presented and compared for representing some geometrical aspects of the kinematic design of robot systems and subsystems. Three geometries (set theory, topology and projective geometry) are briefly explored in more detail in the context of three geometric configurations in robotics (robot groupings, robot connectivities and robot motion sensor patterns)

Serial Cities: Australian Literary Cities and the Rhetoric of Scale

A review essay of New South Books' 'City Series': Sophie Cunningham, Melbourne (2011)Matthew Condon, Brisbane (2010)Paul Daley, Canberra (2012)Delia Falconer, Sydney (2010)Kerryn Goldsworthy, Adelaide (2011)Eleanor Hogan, Alice Springs (2012)Tess Lea, Darwin (2014)Peter Timms, In Search of Hobart (2012)David Whish-Wilson, Perth (2013

William Kingdon Clifford (1845-1879)

William Kingdon Clifford was an English mathematician and philosopher who worked extensively in many branches of pure mathematics and classical mechanics. Although he died young, he left a deep and long-lasting legacy, particularly in geometry. One of the main achievements that he is remembered for is his pioneering work on integrating Hamilton’s Elements of Quaternions with Grassmann’s Theory of Extension into a more general coherent corpus, now referred to eponymously as Clifford algebras. These geometric algebras are utilised in engineering mechanics (especially in robotics) as well as in mathematical physics (especially in quantum mechanics) for representing spatial relationships, motions, and dynamics within systems of particles and rigid bodies. Clifford’s study of geometric algebras in both Euclidean and non-Euclidean spaces led to his invention of the biquaternion, now used as an efficient representation for twists and wrenches in the same context as that of Ball’s Theory of Screws

Socially (un)acceptable

Access to social media sites via public libraries is patchy in Scotland, says Christine Rooney-Browne, and it’s time to bring them all into the world of shared communities

A new method for interacting with multi-window applications on large, high resolution displays

Physically large display walls can now be constructed using off-the-shelf computer hardware. The high resolution of these displays (e.g., 50 million pixels) means that a large quantity of data can be presented to users, so the displays are well suited to visualization applications. However, current methods of interacting with display walls are somewhat time consuming. We have analyzed how users solve real visualization problems using three desktop applications (XmdvTool, Iris Explorer and Arc View), and used a new taxonomy to classify users’ actions and illustrate the deficiencies of current display wall interaction methods. Following this we designed a novel methodfor interacting with display walls, which aims to let users interact as quickly as when a visualization application is used on a desktop system. Informal feedback gathered from our working prototype shows that interaction is both fast and fluid

A New Era of Higher Education-Community Partnerships: The Role and Impact of Colleges and Universities in Greater Boston Today

Urges stronger partnerships among colleges and universities and businesses, government, and civic groups to enhance the area's competitiveness. Makes recommendations for workforce development and retention, increased housing, and higher education access

Paying for Overhead: A Study of the Impact of Foundations' Overhead Payment Policies on Educational and Human Service Organizations

Examines the impact of foundations' overhead funding policies on educational and human services organizations, using data from two original surveys and six case studies