HapticLever: Kinematic Force Feedback using a 3D Pantograph

HapticLever is a new kinematic approach for VR haptics which uses a 3D pantograph to stiffly render large-scale surfaces using small-scale proxies. The HapticLever approach does not consume power to render forces, but rather puts a mechanical constraint on the end effector using a small-scale proxy surface. The HapticLever approach provides stiff force feedback when the user interacts with a static virtual surface, but allows the user to move their arm freely when moving through free virtual space. We present the problem space, the related work, and the HapticLever design approach.Comment: UIST 2022 Poste

Morphology of Brain Sulci Trabeculae and its effect on Brain during Impacts

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an intracranial injury caused by direct contact or non-contact head impacts to the brain. TBI is a major problem that accounts for high incidents of hospitalizations each year. Thus, it is important to understand and predict the occurrence of TBI in an impact. It has been shown that the subarachnoid space (SAS) trabeculae play an important role in damping the effect of an impact, thus reducing the injuries. However, the influence of sulci parameters and the sulci trabeculae in TBI due to impact is unexplored. Studies have shown that inclusion of sulci in brain models alters the strain in the brain, however, those models do not take into account the trabecular tissue present in the sulci. In this study, the morphology and architecture of the sulci trabeculae in different regions of the brain was explored. It was revealed that the sulci trabeculae architecture differs from the SAS trabeculae to some extent, and the morphology varies even between different lobes of the brain. The sulci trabeculae have complex morphology with pillar, rods, tree-shapes plates and veil-like structures. In addition, through detailed 3D global and local FE modeling and analyses it was revealed that changes in the depth of the sulci changes the strain distribution in the brain during an impact. It was revealed that with increasing depth, the strain decreases along the sulci

Designing Calorie Counter Smartphone Applications for Effective Weight Loss

Poor dietary choices and lack of physical activity are two main contributing factors for the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. Overweight and obese individuals are at risk for developing major life-threatening diseases. Weight loss is an effective means for reversing these adverse health effects, and smartphone applications (apps) may be an effective means for supporting weight loss outside of formal clinical settings. This study involved identifying factors that contribute to effective weight loss to compare with functionality commonly found in a sample of calorie counter apps. A content analysis was performed using a design framework that included a conceptual model describing the interaction of behaviors for effective weight loss and functional design requirements based upon behavior change and motivation to achieve weight loss. The requirements were used to analyze the presence of features in a sample of popular calorie counting apps, to infer their capability in supporting users\u27 motivation to achieve weight loss. Results indicated that app features might not provide sufficient support to facilitate effective weight loss. Lack of supportive features affects perceived autonomy, relatedness, and competence, reducing motivation. This study provided guidelines to improve the design of calorie counter apps to include more features that support users as they engage in weight loss behaviors. The guidelines may become practical for use in mHealth apps used as part of formal and informal weight management strategies. Implications for future research involving wearable technologies and the use of gamified design strategies are discussed

Emotion-mapped Robotic Facial Expressions based on Philosophical Theories of Vagueness

As the field of robotics matures robots will need some method of displaying and modeling emotions. One way of doing this is to use a human-like face on which the robot can make facial expressions corresponding to its emotional state. Yet the connection between a robot s emotional state and its physical facial expression is not an obvious one: while a smile can gradually increase or decrease in size, there is no principled method of using boolean logic to map changes in facial expressions to changes in emotional states. We give a philosophical analysis of the problem and show that it is rooted in the vagueness of robot emotions. We then outline several methods that have been used in the philosophical literature to model vagueness and propose an experiment that uses our humanoid robot head to determine which philosophical theory is best suited to the task

Morris High School: A Biography

Morris High School was conceived and built in the Bronx with a lofty mission: to provide a comprehensive, world-class secondary education to the children of immigrant and working-class families, and in so doing to elevate the American public education system and America itself. Such a weighty mission for an institution would result, one could expect, in painstaking record keeping, the lionization of great leaders, consistent investment in the building, and attention given to problems encountered or created over the years. And yet, the life of Morris High School remains elusive. Key figures in its story are lost to obscurity like so many ghosts. Well-worn quantitative measures of success and failure miss the mark in trying to understand the events, mundane and momentous, occurring inside the building. They are only a partial and ambiguous picture of the life of the school. While this study cannot possibly fill the many gaps, I grapple with partial sources, and attempt to give voice to the ghosts of Morris High School. I study the building, demographics, disinvestment and school reform. Exploring these facets makes clear that the narrative shape is not a teleological rise and fall, but rather a straight line, showing Morris’s unchanged mission

Our Wild: Architecture Catalyzing Ecological Revitalization of the Potomac

As the global environment becomes increasingly unstable, our role in the ecosystem has become more critical than ever. By becoming stewards of the environment we can ensure a healthy world for future generations of humans and wildlife alike. This thesis will focus on the Potomac River ecosystem and how a center for conservation and wildlife rehabilitation can engage and educate the public with the ecosystem they rely upon so heavily. Architecture defines our physical environment yet its influence is not bound to humanity, rather it has a defining role and impact on the greater ecosystem. Developing a design that works to remediate its site while simultaneously instilling a sense of environmental empathy on a communal scale can successfully begin the imperative process of revitalizing the Potomac River

Formalizing Chemical Physics using the Lean Theorem Prover

Chemical theory can be made more rigorous using the Lean theorem prover, an interactive theorem prover for complex mathematics. We formalize the Langmuir and BET theories of adsorption, making each scientific premise clear and every step of the derivations explicit. Lean's math library, mathlib, provides formally verified theorems for infinite geometries series, which are central to BET theory. While writing these proofs, Lean prompts us to include mathematical constraints that were not originally reported. We also illustrate how Lean flexibly enables the reuse of proofs that build on more complex theories through the use of functions, definitions, and structures. Finally, we construct scientific frameworks for interoperable proofs, by creating structures for classical thermodynamics and kinematics, using them to formalize gas law relationships like Boyle's Law and equations of motion underlying Newtonian mechanics, respectively. This approach can be extended to other fields, enabling the formalization of rich and complex theories in science and engineering