Competitive high variance, low volume manufacturing with robot manipulators

Competitive robotized manufacturing of high specter variance, low volume product lines represents market opportunities for manufacturing companies, but cost-efficient production is challenging. In this paper, we present two main industry use cases which represent key challenges to be solved for cost-efficient low-volume, high-variance production. The use cases are found in collaboration with three manufacturing companies. We identify and describe these challenges which include perception and manipulation with shiny/high-reflectivity parts, human-machine interfaces for robot reconfiguration and calibration between simulated and real-world environments. In this paper, we present new methods for meeting these challenges: machine vision for handling sensor data with low quality in robot manipulation, automated robot programming based on CAD-models and automated calibration. Moreover, we implement and demonstrate the methods on the two identified industry use cases for robotized assembly.acceptedVersio

Pedagogisk leder - en (u)mulig rolle å fylle? En studie av pedagogiske lederes oppfatning av egen rolle.

Statistikk knyttet til alle slags yrkesgrupper var det som først gav oss antagelser om at det å være pedagogisk leder i en barnehage kan være belastende. Det er høyt sykefravær og stor grad av turnover hos mange som innehar denne type arbeidsrolle, det kan man se i mange av landets barnehager. Er det selve lederrollen, forventninger, eller noen av arbeidsoppgavene som er en utløsende faktor for at mange i denne yrkesgruppen har et høyt sykefravær, eller eventuelt velger å slutte i stillingen? Problemstillingen for oppgaven ble: «Pedagogisk leder - en (u)mulig rolle å fylle?» Studiet er gjennomført som et undersøkende design, ved bruk av innholdsanalyse. Undersøkelsen er utført ved å foreta dybdeintervjuer av mellomledere, primært seks pedagogiske ledere. Informantene har formidlet hvordan de opplever å være i lederrolle og hvordan de opplever det å være en mellomleder i barnehagen. De viktigste faktorene for informantene var rollens kompleksitet, ledelse av ansatte, tidsbruk, fravær og status

Elevated air humidity increases UV mediated leaf and DNA damage in pea (Pisum sativum) due to reduced flavonoid content and antioxidant power

Growth in high relative air humidity (RH, >85%) affects plant morphology and causes diminished response to stomatal closing signals. Many greenhouses are prone to high RH conditions, which may negatively affect production and post-harvest quality. UV radiation induces stomatal closure in several species, and facilitates disease control. We hypothesised that UV exposure may trigger stomatal closure in pea plants (Pisum sativum) grown in high RH, thereby restoring stomatal function. The effects of UV exposure were tested on plants grown in moderate (60%) or high (90%) RH. UV exposure occurred at night, according to a disease control protocol. Lower stomatal conductance rates were found in UV-exposed plants, though UV exposure did not improve the rate of response to closing stimuli or desiccation tolerance. UV-exposed plants showed leaf curling, chlorosis, necrosis, and DNA damage measured by the presence of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), all of which were significantly greater in high RH plants. These plants also had lower total flavonoid content than moderate RH plants, and UV-exposed plants had less than controls. Plants exposed to UV had a higher content of cuticular layer uronic compounds than control plants. However, high RH plants had a higher relative amount of cuticular waxes, but decreased proteins and uronic compounds. Plants grown in high RH had reduced foliar antioxidant power compared to moderate RH. These results indicate that high RH plants were more susceptible to UV-induced damage than moderate RH plants due to reduced flavonoid content and oxidative stress defence.acceptedVersio

Elevated air humidity increases UV mediated leaf and DNA damage in pea (Pisum sativum) due to reduced flavonoid content and antioxidant power

Growth in high relative air humidity (RH, >85%) affects plant morphology and causes diminished response to stomatal closing signals. Many greenhouses are prone to high RH conditions, which may negatively affect production and post-harvest quality. UV radiation induces stomatal closure in several species, and facilitates disease control. We hypothesised that UV exposure may trigger stomatal closure in pea plants (Pisum sativum) grown in high RH, thereby restoring stomatal function. The effects of UV exposure were tested on plants grown in moderate (60%) or high (90%) RH. UV exposure occurred at night, according to a disease control protocol. Lower stomatal conductance rates were found in UV-exposed plants, though UV exposure did not improve the rate of response to closing stimuli or desiccation tolerance. UV-exposed plants showed leaf curling, chlorosis, necrosis, and DNA damage measured by the presence of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD), all of which were significantly greater in high RH plants. These plants also had lower total flavonoid content than moderate RH plants, and UV-exposed plants had less than controls. Plants exposed to UV had a higher content of cuticular layer uronic compounds than control plants. However, high RH plants had a higher relative amount of cuticular waxes, but decreased proteins and uronic compounds. Plants grown in high RH had reduced foliar antioxidant power compared to moderate RH. These results indicate that high RH plants were more susceptible to UV-induced damage than moderate RH plants due to reduced flavonoid content and oxidative stress defence